GB: Unexpected Future
by WayWardWonderer
Summary: An experiment gone wrong sends Dr. Egon Spengler into a time when the Ghostbusters had only recently been founded by a group of intrepid young women, and must find a way back to his own time with their help. Dr. Ray Stantz, Dr. Peter Venkman and Winston Zeddemore have to get creative in order to locate their missing colleague and safely bring him back home to their own world.
1. Failed Experiment

A long week of a silent phone and an inactive city had created a suffocating, boring lull for the Ghostbusters. While Dr. Raymond 'Ray' Stantz kept busy at his bookstore, Winston Zeddemore had all but taken Ecto-1 apart with all of the maintenance and repairs performed on the iconic hearse, Dr. Peter Venkman had spent most of his time with his on-again, off-again love interest Dana Barrett, and Dr. Egon Spengler had busied himself with fine tuning the delicate equipment used by the intrepid heroes during their busts and overall research.

As for the fiery receptionist, Janine Meltnitz, she had finished off the impressive stack of paperwork and left early to go see a movie with her current beau, the English professor Roger Baugh. She also left instructions that no one was to bother her while she was out enjoying herself.

Returning from a rather short date, Dana's young son Oscar came down with a cold, Peter strolled through the firehouse's garage and ran his finger along the freshly polished frame of Ecto-1. "Not bad Zed." Peter complimented as he admired the professional detailing Winston had given the old hearse. "Want to take a day and get my dad's old Caddy up and running again?"

"I don't think you can afford me." Winston joked as he wiped engine grease off of his strong hands onto an old red rag. His gray t-shirt and faded blue jeans were also coated in grease and oil from his work under the hood of the car. "How was your date?"

"It was going great until the babysitter called." Peter leaned against the car and sighed disappointingly. "I don't imagine Dana was expecting to end the evening with wiping a toddler's runny nose all night."

"Oscar's sick? Poor kid."

"Poor Dana." Peter sighed as he stood up straight again and slipped off his nice evening jacket. "I don't imagine that deadbeat dad of Oscar's is the type of guy to actually take care of his own kid, let alone help out his ex."

"You going to help her out instead?"

"I'll check in on them tomorrow." Peter admitted while breaking eye contact with Winston. The emotionally reserved psychologist hated showing his sweeter side, especially to his colleagues. "Where's the Scarecrow and Tinman?"

"Spengler is in the basement," Winston replied sharply having gotten used to Peter's random pet names and references he often gave his team mates. Egon was considered the brain and Ray was considered the heart of the team. "and Ray's at his store."

"Ray surrounded by books and weirdos doesn't bother me," Peter's inquisitive blue eyes narrowed as he stared at the basement stairs. "but Egon tinkering away with his little toys in private does."

"Sometimes I think you're a little paranoid Venkman." Winston dismissed his concerns with a light chuckle as he tossed aside the dirty red rag and made his way toward the staircase leading to the second floor. "I'm going to take a shower and try to relax. Let me know if we get a call."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Peter was less interested in Winston and more interested in Egon. "Like a blaring Klaxon would go unnoticed without me pointing it out."

Wandering casually into the basement Peter spied Egon hunched over some metal contraption sitting on the workbench. Egon had foregone his white lab coat in favor of wearing his gray jumpsuit worn normally on busts, as he decided that physical work ruined the white fabric too often. A soldering iron was gripped in his right hand and a metal pick was in his left. Using the two tools in unison the physicist expertly utilized his knowledge and skills to fine tune the delicate piece of equipment that was prey to his enhancements. A piece of equipment that Peter could have sworn Egon had locked up in storage.

"Working late?" Peter asked loudly hoping to get a reaction from Egon as he approached the workbench.

"Just a few adjustments, nothing complicated." Egon replied with a firm, unflinching tone as he continued to work without breaking pace.

"Nothing complicated, huh?" Peter stepped closer and eyed the equipment under Egon's hands. His suspicions were confirmed as he correctly identified the equipment as the supposedly scrapped trap prototype. "The last time I checked that very malfunctioning prototype you're so painstakingly modifying _redefined_ complicated."

Egon paused momentarily and set aside his tools long enough to look Peter in the eye. "Yes. This prototype has caused us more problems than it has granted solutions. But I've been analyzing the data-"

"And you think you can make that thing safe? Have you finally gone off the deep end?" Peter wasn't willing to even risk a test run with a lab mouse when it came that the prototype. "No. No way Spengz! We almost lost Ray with that damn thing and it took him almost six months to get over it!"

"Which is why I've been working on it private."

"Yeah, well I'm sure Ray appreciates you sneaking around behind his back." Peter accused harshly. "I thought you had better judgement than that."

"Peter I can assure you that I'm not sneaking around, nor am I attempting to elicit any form deceit." Egon defended without blinking as he returned his attention to the opened control panel on the side of the prototype. "I'm attempting to correct a massive mistake to ensure that any other similar mistakes will not be committed in the foreseeable future."

"And you're keep Ray out of this because...?"

"Because as you previously stated it has taken Ray a noticeable amount of time to readjust and come to terms with the events he had endured after the prototype had taken him to a parallel New York." Slamming the panel shut and replacing the screws Egon finished his explanation. "I do not want to hamper Ray's emotional recovery or push him into a situation that he is not fully comfortable with comprehending."

"Huh." Peter couldn't argue with Egon's logic or reasoning. Satisfied that Egon was in fact acting in Ray's best interest he changed his tone toward the confrontation. "So what have you found out? Do you know what went wrong?"

"In theory." Egon checked the power levels on the prototype before facing Peter again. "I believe that the prototype functioned properly based solely on the PKE signature being provided by the incorporeal being and was able to perform the same function on Ray, a corporeal being that was thoroughly coated in PKE rich slime; with the error laying in not the prototype but the coordinates."

Peter took a moment to process everything Egon had just said before responding. "The prototype worked, it sent our ghost and our Ghostbuster to another plane as it should have, but it was just the wrong plane. Did I get that right?"

"Yes. Correct." Egon attempted to show Peter his mathematical equations and the in depth physics that had been involved in the prototype's creations, but the psychologist was as disinterested as he was clueless. "If we can adjust the coordinates to the proper plane, a plane of non-existence or a plane of the dead, then the prototype can still function as we intended as a safer alternative to the containment unit."

"Did you fix it?"

"Possibly."

Peter sighed as pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Why can't you just say: 'Yes, everything is fine. Go to bed now.'?"

"A brief test will either confirm or-"

"A test." Peter's tone reverted back to a colder level. "You want to test it. Are you going to test _before_ we get a call, or during again? Please choose the former over the latter option."

"Of course I will." Egon shot Peter a less than kind glance as he took the prototype from the workbench, with a PKE meter in his other hand, and carried it to the secondary basement adjacent to the main basement. It was used primarily for storage and training, which made it ideal for equipment tests. "If you recall correctly the first time the prototype was activated was by Ray on an overenthusiastic whim. This is not a whim."

"I'm surprised you know anything about whimsy Spengz."

"Funny Venkman." Egon sat the prototype down and ran the cable out to its full length to ensure that he and Peter were both clear of the trap's field radius. "As soon as the trap is activated I will scan it with a PKE meter and track the coordinates to confirm or debunk my theory."

"Wasn't 'debunked theory' the name of the shot you gave to me after we graduated?" Peter seemed to be lost in deep thought.

"Yes." Egon held the release trigger in his hands. "Ray and found you passed out naked in the football with two cheerleaders and hijacked ice cream truck."

"Oh yeah... That's right- Hey!" Peter laughed at the memory then blushed. "I wasn't NAKED, I was still in my boxers. Also, we didn't hijack the ice cream truck, we BORROWED it."

"Whatever you say Venkman." Egon turned his gaze away from the trap. "Trap out."

"Right." Peter put his arm up and over his eyes to protect himself from the impending bright light. "Ready."

Pressing the trigger the doors of the trap burst open with the white ionized light that illuminated the basement in a pure glow. Keeping his eyes distant from the trap Egon approached the PKE meter functioning and out at arm's length. As the meter scanned the air and recorded all of the energy levels being emitted by both the prototype and the of the secondary plane that had been bridged through the prototype.

"I'm getting something." Egon confirmed as he stepped closer, careful not to stand too near the trap. "The coordinates show-"

A surge of energy pulsed from the prototype and shorted out the battery on the PKE meter. Egon looked down at the display as the needle peaked and the glass screen cracked from the powerful energy wave. The intense pulse cracked the lenses of Egon's glass as well making it nearly impossible for the physicist to see his work.

"Spengz, get away from there!" Peter urged boldly as a second energy pulse shot out from the prototype.

The second pulse was strong enough to knock the two men from their feet and onto their backs after flying backward by the blast. Egon bumped the back of his head on the cold, concrete floor and was instantly rendered unconscious by the impact.

Peter tried to sit upright from where he had fallen but the pulse had enough electrical discharge to send a numbing sensation all through his body. Unable to move properly or show any sign of articulated coordination he helplessly watched as a third pulse erupted from the prototype and flooded the entire basement in light.

The intense wave of energy resonated throughout the entire building and caused all of the electrical components and instruments to surge and power down. The lights flickered brightly before going out entirely leaving the building, save for the basement, in utter blackness.

* * *

From the second floor Winston stood in the bunk room and watched as the digital alarm clock beside his bed flashed on and off, the numbers frantically changing and the alarm itself going on and off intermittently.

"What the hell is going on?!"

* * *

The prototype's power level reached its limit and unleashed a massive wave of energy that enveloped everything and everyone that was unfortunate enough to be in its immediate proximity before burning itself out. With a single mournful groan the prototype powered itself down and all was still in the firehouse. The basement was filled with darkness and the intoxicating and distinct aroma of fresh ozone.

"Sp-Spengz?" Peter called out hoarsely as the feeling returned to his hands and feet. Pushing himself upright on his elbows he struggled to see through the darkness and locate his friend. "Spengler? You okay?"

Winston's heavy footsteps marched down the stairs with a powerful flashlight guiding his way. The beam shone on Peter and caused the marine to react quickly at the sight of his fallen friend.

"Peter! What happened down here? What were you guys doing?" He knelt beside Peter and grabbed onto his arm to support the downed man. "Hey! Are you alright?"

"Fine." Peter muttered as Winston helped him up to his feet. His legs were noticeably trembling and still a little numb, but were able to seemingly support his weight just fine. "How's Spengler?"

Winston shined the light through the basement but couldn't see anyone else laying on the floor or standing in the middle of the room. Only the smoldering, failed prototype occupied the overwhelmed and freshly damaged room.

"Peter, where is Egon?" Winston sounded more confused than frightened, but either trait was never a good sign coming from the seasoned marine. "I can't find him!"

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	2. Uncomfortable Information

Peter approached the prototype with Winston still hanging onto his arm. As much as Peter wanted to wrest his arm free from Winston's grip he didn't dare to do so as the marine's strong grip was all that was keeping Peter's shaking legs from giving out on him. Using the flashlight Peter eyed the destroyed prototype and charred floor that surrounded it. A pair of broken, warped eyeglasses rested on the floor where Egon had once stood.

"Spengz..." Peter weakly bent down and knelt on one knee as he picked up the mangled frames and held them between his fingers. "No. We lost Spengz!" Peter's hand tightened into a first around the frames and crushed what remained of the lenses into his palms. Looking with angered eyes at the prototype he picked it up with he empty hand and slammed back down, hard, onto the floor to try and smash it. "Piece of shit!"

"Peter!" Winston grabbed onto Peter's arm to keep him from smashing it again. "Don't do that! It could be all we have to find him again!"

"This... thing... has messed with our lives enough already." Peter practically spat out in anger. "We should've destroyed this damn thing when we had the chance!"

"Yeah, you're right." Winston set aside the flashlight long enough to pry Peter's hand from the prototype. "But instead of focused on what we should've done then, we need to focus on what will do now." Pulling the prototype from Peter's angered grip he stood up he retrieved the flashlight and stood up beside Peter who continued to kneel. "Right now we need to figure out exactly what happened to Egon and we need to..." Winston's confident tone became hesitant and uncomfortable. "and we need to tell Ray what happened."

* * *

A strange disturbance had caught the attention of two women driving through the dark streets of New York City in their creatively adorned hearse. The younger of tho women, a white blonde haired girl wearing yellow tinted goggles and a leather jacket was driving, while her passenger, a somewhat heavy black woman flipped through the radio frequencies inside the car.

"Did you hear that Holtzy?" Patricia 'Patty' Tolan asked as she wrote down the approximate location of the reported disturbance and clicked off the radio. "Sounds like we got a job to do."

"Oh yeah!" Dr. Jillian Holtzmann turned on the emergency lights and siren of the hearse as she sped up steadily to the address. "And to think Erin and Abby didn't want to go with us to the movies tonight. Their loss."

"Think they'll be mad if we go without them?"

"Nah!" Holtzmann dismissed with a twisted grin. "Just jealous if we find something good."

"Do we ever find anything good?" Patty asked in a somewhat serious manner. "Being attacked, grabbed and thrown around by pissed off ghosts does NOT fit my definition of good."

"You worry too much!" Holtzmann took a sharp turn which made Patty slide over a little and have to readjust how she had been sitting. "This'll be fun!"

* * *

A throbbing pain in the back of Egon's head was strong enough to slightly rouse the man from his state of unconsciousness. Pressing a cool hand to his face Egon realized that his glasses were missing. Partially opening his blurry eyes Egon glanced about the room with puzzlement. Despite the somewhat obscured environment courtesy of his vision impairment he knew that he wasn't in a familiar environment.

The brick walls of the basement had been replaced by four white walls, the concrete floor was now marble and the dimness of the basement was now bright and warm. A brightness that only intensified Egon's headache.

"Where...?" Egon tried to life his head up from the floor but the pain was too great and a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. Freezing his every movement and remaining where he laid, he tried a new tactic. "Peter? Peter are you here?"

No response came from anyone.

"Winston?"

Still nothing. Egon was alone.

Before Egon had the chance to try anything else darkness encroached along his vision and his ears began to ring.

A door opened and the sound of someone walking toward him was the last thing Egon could register before unconsciousness stole his mind once more. Falling back down he went limp and silent.

"Huh..." A feminine voice observed as she walked toward the downed man. "Looks kinda' familiar. Hey Patty!" Holtzmann shouted for her colleague. "I think I found something! Well, definitely _something_ since it's a guy! A really tall guy!"

"Is he alive or dead?" Patty asked as she entered the room and joined Holtzmann who was now bent down and looking at Egon. "We don't have any equipment with us so he better be alive!"

Holtzmann put her fingers to the side of Egon's neck. "Got a pulse." She then placed her hand just below his nose and over his mouth. "And he's breathing. Damn, I was hoping he'd at least be a zombie."

"Not funny." Patty scolded firmly. "Ghosts are bad enough." Kneeling down beside Egon she saw that he had a name badge on his jumpsuit. Smoothing out the badge she read the name. "Spengler. Weird. He's wearing a jumpsuit, think he's part of the renovation staff?"

"Nope." Holtzmann denied with a confident tone. "Check it out." She pointed to the emblem on Egon's right sleeve. "I think he's one of us. Or at the very least a dedicated cosplayer."

"It'd be nice to have a fan." Patty optimistically stated. "What should we do with him? Call 911?"

"Nah, I have a more irresponsible idea." Holtzmann answered without flinching as she stared down at Egon's face with a burning curiosity.

' _Why do I feel like I know him_?'

* * *

Peter was sitting at his desk in his open office with an opened can of beer in his hand as he stared at the charred, smoldering prototype resting just a few inches away on the corner of the desk. Winston had just gotten off the phone with Ray and told him that he needed to return to the firehouse, but wouldn't go into details until they could speak face to face.

"Ray's on his way." Winston hung up the phone looked at Peter's blank face. "You're sure you're not hurt? You didn't hit your head or anything?"

"I'm sure." Peter was irritated. Irritated that Egon had messed around with that dangerous prototype. Irritated with himself for not doing more to stop Egon before things went sour. Irritated that the team had once again been divided. "Stop worry about me and start worrying about Egon."

"I am worried." Winston sighed as he leaned against the desk and crossed his arms.

"You don't look like it."

"I'm a marine. Hiding fear is a part of basic training."

"Speaking of fear, think we should call Janine?" Peter asked as he took a sip of his beer. "Not 'it' by the way."

Winston shook his head. "I don't think we want to tell her until we know exactly what happened."

"And Egon is the only one who can tell us."

"I have faith in Ray. He helped build that damn thing, remember? He can figure it out just as easily as Egon."

"Easily or quickly?"

"Easily." Winston admitted. "Egon's a human-computer, Ray is just human."

"Yeah, I know." Peter finished the last of the beer and crushed the can in his hand before tossing it into the nearby trashcan. "I roomed with the guy in college."

Picking up a pencil from the desk Winston used the eraser and poked at the possibly still dangerous prototype. "As we get Egon back I vote we take this thing to the nearest dump, smash it to bits and bury it ten feet down."

"I second the motion." Peter agreed wholeheartedly as he stared at the trap with an angry glare. "Maybe we should board up Egon's lab and keep him busy with other projects. Like putting together a hundred-thousand piece puzzle, or find the meaning to life or where all my left socks keep going in the wash."

"We can't just tell Egon or Ray to stop building. That'd be a little bit cruel to a physicist and engineer, it's what they live for!"

"Yeah, and I live for diagnosing the crazy and keeping the sane safe. I can confidently say that Egon, performing the same kind of tests over and over again, expecting a different result is the very definition of crazy."

"Easy Peter. Let's not-"

The large front door of the firehouse burst open as Ray rushed inside with hastened pace and wide eyes. His black leather jacket was covered in a light drizzle and his thick hair was matted down with the damp air.

Peter's brow arched. "That was fast."

"What's going on?" Ray asked as he slipped off his wet jacket and tossed it down onto the unoccupied chair opposite of Peter's desk. "You wouldn't call me unless it was something important. What's up?" Ray's eyes were immediately drawn to the prototype and his face paled. "Oh no..."

"Yeah..." Winston sighed and put his hand on Ray's shoulder. "Sit down pal, we have something to tell you."

* * *

"How did I let you talk me into this?" Patty asked as she looked over her shoulder from the front seat to the backseat where Egon was now laying, still unconscious. "We could get charged with kidnapping. You do know this, right?"

"It'll be fine." Holtzmann's laidback view on life could at time annoy her friends. It have her the appearance of immaturity when in fact she was the most down-to-Earth and logical of the four women. "He's hurt and he was at the source of the disturbance. As soon as we wakes up we were going to question him anyway, so at least this way it saves us all a trip to the hospital and we won't be charged with trespassing."

"You know we were trespassing too." Patty reminded her with a flustered sigh. "We both slipped under the construction barricade at the hotel."

"Then we crawled out the second time with our new friend with us. But the receptionist loves us!" Holtzmann all but cheered as she tried to ease Patty's righteous tension. "We got rid of her sad, pale janitor and saved the world."

"I just hope she still loves us after she finds out we took a random guy from a boarded off section of the hotel."

"Don't worry, we sent her a gift basket. She owes a free pass."

"That's not how it works."

"It does in my world."

"Your world scares me. Please remember that."

"You love it."

Backing the hearse up to the garage door of the newly restored firehouse the two returning Ghostbusters had quite the tale to tell to their colleagues who were busy inside with their own personal projects and official business. Dr. Abigail "Abby" Yates was nowhere to be seen while Dr. Erin Gilbert was struggling with a large cardboard box in her hands.

Patty climbed out of the hearse first and immediately looked down, unable to lock eyes with Erin.

"Hey guys, I thought you went to the movies. Something happen?" Erin asked as she gave up on the box and set it down on their receptionist's desk.

"Hey Erin, uh no... Yeah. No." Patty stammered.

"Um... what?"

"Look." Patty clapped her hands together and took in a breath to steel herself. "We ran into a little situation, but everything is under control."

"Situation...?" Erin didn't like the sound of Patty's voice. "What kind of situation."

"This kind." Was Holtzmann's blunt answer as she pulled open the rear passenger door of the hearse.

Erin tilted her head as she peered into the back of the vehicle curiously. She could see a man who was seemingly asleep laying across the backseat. "You made a friend?"

"More like _took_ a friend." Holtzmann corrected.

"T-Took?" Erin now stammered. "You took him? As in-"

"Kidnapped." Patty finished the statement for Erin and pointed at Holtzmann. "Yeah. That's what I _tried_ to tell her!"

"Oh... my..." Erin walked closer to the opened door of the hearse and leaned down. "Please tell me you didn't kill someone!"

"No!" Patty defended in a somewhat insulted manner. "We didn't kill him! We helped him!" She peered inside and looked at Egon's expressionless, pale face. "Maybe... At least we tried to help him."

"Wait, I don't understand." Erin put her hands to her face and tried to comprehend the logic of her friends. "Who is, why is here, where did he come from and why is asleep?"

"Unconscious." Holtzmann corrected once again. "Before you ask, he was out when we found him. We didn't do this, I promise."

"Okay... Why did you bring an unconscious man back to our headquarters?" Erin lowered her hands, clasping them together over her heart and stared at Egon's face. "...and why does he look familiar? Is this a prank?"

"I wish." Patty admitted as she leaned with her arms crossed against the hearse. "But this is real."

"Right. Of course it is."

Kevin Beckman, the dull but kindhearted receptionist, walked through the garage with casual gait. "Who's this guy? A friend?"

"Perfect timing." Erin turned on her heels and pointed her nervously clasped hands toward him. "Kevin, we need you to pick him up and carry him upstairs to the rec room and put him on the couch. Okay?"

"Okay." Kevin didn't ask any further questions. Stooping down he put his hands under Egon's arms and dragged the unconscious man out of the backseat and held him partially upright in his arms. Hooking Egon's arm around his neck he hoisted him up and over his shoulders into a fireman's carry. "Got him."

"Good." Erin watched as Kevin walked up the stairs with the unconscious physicist laying over his shoulders. "And don't drop him!"

"I won't." Kevin shouted in response as he ascended the stairs without any difficulty despite the dead weight he was carrying.

Sighing Erin gave Patty a stern look and then an annoyed glance to Holtzmann. "I don't know what's going on here, but you two are going to spell it out."

"So Abby's upstairs?" Holtzmann asked as she casually pointed to the second floor.

"Yes. Abby's upstairs." Erin confirmed with a disciplinary tone of voice. "She's working. Like an adult."

"Cool. I can't wait to see the look on her face!"

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	3. Questions and Answers

Ray paced anxiously back and forth across the garage wringing his hands together as he contemplated the bleak scenario that he and the other Ghostbusters now faced. Crossing from world to another was a feat that science had deemed too difficult, too dangerous to attempt; now they had to face this danger and face off against the unknown in a desperate bid to bring Egon back home to where he belongs.

"This is bad, this is very, VERY bad." Ray huffed nervously, his voice shaking and his words stumbling out so quickly it was a little hard for Peter and Winston to understand him. "It was frightening enough when I was the one stranded on another plane of existence, but if Egon is the one stranded then the odds of a successful retrieval are practically zero!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Ray." Winston had enough of his pacing and put two firm hands on the nervous engineer's shoulder to hold him in place. "What do you mean our odds are zero? What's going on through your head right now?"

"What I mean is-"

"What he means is," Peter interrupted loudly without warrant. "without the brains of our team having immediate access to supplies and technology then Egon may not have anything he can use to get back to our world."

"Exactly." Ray nodded once at Peter before resuming his explanation to Winston. "I lucked out. I was found by Ghostbusters in the parallel world and they were willing to help me. There's no guarantee that Egon will get the same treatment. Hell, there's no way to guarantee that Egon will find any allies, let alone other Ghostbusters! I repeat: the odds are practically zero."

"So what do we do?" Winston shifted his mindset from friend to marine in a flash. "Cross our fingers and sit around hoping all the pieces fall into place of us, or do we get down to business and find a way to track down Egon ourselves?"

Ray's heavy, doubtful eyes was all the answer Winston needed to know where he was leaning. Peter could see that Ray was afraid and decided to offer a form of faith in in the shaken engineer.

"Ray, you built that prototype with Egon. You can think of something that can bring Egon back. No sweat!"

Ray remained unconvinced and nearly paralyzed with fear. "But if I mess up the design again-"

"You didn't mess up the design." Winston refuted truthfully and succinctly. "The _coordinates_ were screwed up. Egon told Peter what the original problem was before he tested-"

"And now Egon is missing, just like I was!" Ray bowed his head and walked away, retreating to the second floor of the firehouse to be alone in his moment of self loathing. "Without Egon there's no way I can build the device we need. We've failed before we even began..."

Winston was about to go after Ray when Peter cleared his throat just loud enough to get Winston's attention. "Let him go."

"Peter we can't let Ray hide and mope. If we can't convince him to at least try then we really do have zero odds in saving Egon."

"Yeah, I know. But we can't push him either." Peter gave Winston an authoritative look. "I'm speaking as both a psychologist and as a friend."

"So what do we do now? I'm not just going to sit around and hope that Egon somehow finds his way back." Winston rubbed at his chin as he made his way down into the basement. "I'm going to over Egon's notes. Maybe there's something we can use."

"Yeah..." Peter just watched as Winston slipped down into the basement out of sight. "Damn it. How come we can only seem to function as a whole team, never as individuals?" Looking down at the crushed beer can in the trash he decided he wanted a second. Chuckling as he made his way to the small kitchen on the second floor an interesting thought popped into his head. "And everything says _I'm_ the one who causes all the problems."

* * *

Erin was carefully checking over her unexpected guest, examining him for any sign of injury or illness, when Abby finally walked into the rec room and spotted her three team mates, plus Kevin, standing around the couch in a curious group. Aby stared at Egon for a moment before darting her eyes to her colleagues one by one and settled with staring directly at Erin's somewhat nervous gaze.

"What the hell is this? Who is that?" Abby asked as she took a step closer to the couch.

"Holtzmann and Patty brought him here." She answered sounding like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Wait..." Kevin's blue eyes flashed with confusion. "I thought I was the one who brought him here."

"You did." Erin confirmed with a disappointed sigh. "You brought him here to the couch, but I was referring to Holtzmann and Patty bringing him here to the firehouse."

"Oh. I get it." Kevin put his hands in his pockets and smiled in a dimwitted manner. "Can I take off?"

"I... I guess. But why?"

"I'm bored."

"Yeah, sure. Go." Erin shook her head a little. "Have fun."

"Cool. See you tomorrow boss."

"Yeah... See you."

Kevin took his leave which left Erin sitting beside the couch on the edge of the small coffee table, and Holtzmann leaning over the back of the couch casually. Patty was standing at the edge of the couch with her arms folded nervously, waiting to see how Abby was going to react to the situation.

"Ah-hem!" Abby pulled Erin's attention back toward herself. "Erin, what's going on?"

Holtzmann answered on Erin's behalf. "Found him unconscious in the Mercado. Can we keep him?"

"No." Abby replied firmly.

"Why not? You let Erin keep Kevin!" Holtzmann playfully whined.

"We can't-" Abby sighed and took a breath to calm herself. "First thing's first, why is he unconscious?"

"Well," Erin finally spoke up. "I found a bump on the back of his head. So I think that did it."

Patty walked over to the kitchen quickly after hearing Erin's diagnosis. "I'll get some ice."

"Okay, that answers that." Abby was happy to be making some form of progress on the bizarre event. "Now why is he here?"

Holtzmann happily responded with her usual level of frightening enthusiasm. "Me and Patty picked up on a disturbance when we were out. We traced it down to the Mercado Hotel and found him in a blocked off section."

"So you brought him here." Abby put her hand to her forehead in irritation. "Why?"

"So we can ask him why he was passed out in the Mercado." She tilted her head to the side and studied Egon's face with sincere intrigue. "He doesn't seem like the party-animal type of guy."

"And, did you see this?" Patty asked as she returned with the ice and handed it so Erin so she could put under Egon's head. "Look at his sleeve."

"His sleeve?" Abby looked at the fabric as Patty gently lifted Egon's right arm and pointed to the 'no ghost' emblem sewn onto the upper arm of the gray jumpsuit. "That's our logo."

"I know!" Patty put his arm down carefully. "Weird, right?"

Erin then noticed the name badge sewn onto the front of Egon's jumpsuit. "'Spengler'. Why does that name ring a bell?"

"I guess-" Abby was cut off abruptly by a soft groan of pain from the couch.

Egon began to stir as the ice on the back of his swollen head revived him from his state of unconsciousness. Opening his blurry dark eyes he looked at the four women who were gathered around him in a curious group.

"Where... Where am I?" He asked in a cliche, yet appropriate manner.

"You're safe. We're going to help you." Was Erin's quick and honest reply to the very logical question. "Can you tell us your name?"

"My name." Egon sat up slowly on the couch, his hand greedily grabbing onto the ice and pressing it to the back of his aching head like a lifeline as he moved. "I'm Dr. Egon Spengler."

"Egon Spengler..." Erin repeated the name, convinced now more than ever that she somehow knew this man. Unable to place who he was or why she knew him Erin decided to let the matter drop for the time being. "What are you a doctor of?"

"Physics. I'm also a paranormal investigator and eliminator." Egon sounded groggy but sure of himself.

Patty gave Egon an impressed glance. "Small world. Us too! At least the paranormal part." She laughed warmly. "They're the scientists, I'm the local historian."

"May I ask your names?" Egon inquired politely as struggled to make out the facial features of the women. Without his glasses he was lost in a world of blurred shapes and confusion.

"Yes! Of course. I'm Professor Erin Gilbert. Er, correction... _former_ professor." Erin introduced herself as a professional courtesy. "This is Dr. Abigail Yates," she motioned to Abby standing behind her before gesturing toward Patty. "this is Patty Tolan, and the woman hanging on the back of the couch behind you is Dr. Jillian Holtzmann."

"Thank you for your assistance." Egon was having some difficulty in identifying his surroundings once again, as well as remembering the last few events at the firehouse before he woke up on the couch surrounded by his rescuers. "May I ask why I'm here?"

"See?" Erin scolded Holtzmann. "Even _he_ wants to know!"

"Dr. Spengler," Patty confidently addressed the question. "it's a little strange but I can spell it out for you."

"Let me." Holtzmann insisted coyly. "I got this..."

* * *

Ray was sitting on the edge of his bed with his face buried in his hands as he leaned forward, his elbows propping his arms up against his legs as he sat alone, engrossed in painfully morose thoughts.

It had taken Ray some time to get over the events on the parallel world that he had become stranded a few months prior. It seemed like a nightmare that never really ended as he constantly thought about the possible repercussions his intrusion could have had on that world, and how his arrival could have easily spelt doom for the friends he had made on the other side.

From the doorway of the bunk room Peter watched the distraught engineer torturing himself with the endless 'what if' scenarios and couldn't take the pitiful sight any longer.

"Ray." Peter called his name but kept his ground on the opposite end of the room. "We need ya' pal. Egon needs you."

Ray shook his head and never looked up at Peter. "No. I can't."

"Yes you can." Peter reaffirmed without the slightest twinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"No." Ray defeatedly moaned. "Egon is trapped in another world and I have no idea how to help him. It's my fault, too. I should've-"

"Whoa, wait!" Peter had to laugh at Ray's misplaced guilt. "How is this _your_ fault? You weren't even here!"

"I helped build that infernal death-trap, I should've destroyed it as soon as I got back home."

"That's what I said." Peter strolled through the room and stood directly in front of Ray. "And Winston said we shouldn't dwell on the past. He's right you know."

Ray didn't say anything as he continued to outwardly sulk and second guess every decision that he had made throughout his life.

"Ray?" Peter shook Ray's shoulder to try and get him to look up. It failed. "Come on, stop kicking yourself. That's my job." He teased.

"Please just go away. I want to be alone."

"Not this time." Peter refused to leave the room and crossed his arms defiantly.

"Peter..." Ray finally lowered his hands and looked up at his friend. Welled up tears were resting in his mismatched eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. "Please. Just leave me alone."

"No." Relaxing his posture Peter took a seat on the bed right beside Ray and gave his friend a sympathetic look. "Not this time."

Ray could hear the sincerity in Peter's voice and with it a twinge of relief washed over him. "Thank you."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	4. Preparing and Planning

Having been informed of his unorthodox discovery by Holtzmann and Patty in the sectioned off ballroom on the top floor of the Mercado Hotel, Egon was beginning to theorize on the numerous possibilities that would result in his arrival from his world to their world; but by all accounts the prototype shouldn't have sent him to another plane of existence outside his own. The coordinates had been corrected and the trap had been programmed to send only incorporeal beings to the plane of the dead; not a parallel world where life continued to exist.

"This is all fascinating." Egon sat on the couch and eagerly set out to scrawl mathematical equations on a pad of paper provided by Abby. "In theory this-"

"Theory?" Patty interrupted sharply. "What do you mean theory? You're here and that's a fact."

"True." Egon agreed with her as she stopped calculating, his handwriting still as hasty and illegible to all eyes except his own even without his glasses. "But the resulting events that had brought me here should not have acted in such a manner. In order for me to arrive here there must be an underlying variable that I had not accommodated before my test. If we can recreate the events that allowed me to cross from one plane to the next I can potentially create a second portal that will allow me to return to my world."

"A test to transport ghosts to the plane of the dead." Erin was genuinely amazed by Egon's idea for an alternate containment for the ghosts busted during calls. "If you can perfect the equation may we use it for our own containment uses?"

"Of course."

"Alright, all that aside..." Abby was growing tired of the day's unusual events. "how do we help you get back to where you belong? Your uncontrolled arrival could have very well destabilized the border between planes."

Erin was in complete agreement with Abby. "She's right. If your arrival used even a fraction of the power Rowan utilized with the Ley Lines then we might be in serious danger."

"Ley Lines." Egon and Ray had familiarized themselves with all form of paranormal and supernatural energy sources. Ley Lines were a subject of controversy and held little merit. "You claim someone had tapped into the energy construct of Ley Lines successfully?"

"Yup." Holtzmann confirmed with a semi-bored lilt as she pressed the palm of her hand to chin and leaned down against her arm. "A sad janitor in the basement of the Mercado. It was like a Stephen King fever-dream. Kinda cool."

"Mercado." Egon's curious eyes brightened. "I believe we may have found the portal that allowed me person to crossover from my world to your own. What can you tell me about your experiences with the Ley Lines?"

* * *

Winston unrolled the blueprints containing the detailed schematics on the prototype and compared the original calculations to Egon's notes chronicling the adjusted calculation. All of Egon's notes were as meticulous as they were lengthy. Using a notepad and pen Winston identified each original formula and compared it to the second, looking for anything that could possibly provide an answer to Egon's fate.

The dim lighting of the basement combined with the red light of the containment unit filled the entire area with a sense of unease and dread. Every so often Winston would glance over his shoulder to the second basement where everything went wrong. Uncontrollably he'd stare at the charred stain on the floor and feel a heaviness in his heart.

"Man, I wish Ray was down here doing this." He sighed as he rubbed at his tired eyes. "I was an ace at chemistry, not calculus. Guess Mr. Matterson was right, I should've paid more attention in class."

"Admitting you were wrong is the first step to a healthy relationship." Peter quipped as she strolled down the basement stairs. Alone. "Any progress?"

"Only on my sleep deprivation. How's Ray?"

"Same. Well, except he's taking a little power-nap to recharge his batteries and start fresh."

"Great, he's sleeping and I'm working. Just like my first job running the drive thru." Winston leaned back in his chair and tried to stretch out his stiffened shoulders. "Is he going to be okay? I mean, he was pretty shaken up."

"He'll be fine. A patented pep-talk from yours truly will have him ready to solve our little math problem and bring our boy home." Peter patted Winston's shoulder as a sign of good faith. "I swear."

"Uh-huh." Winston could see that there was still some worry trying to hide away behind Peter's eyes. "And how are you holding up?"

"Fine." Was Peter's direct reply. "Look, it's almost six in the morning. I promised to check in on Dana and Oscar, I won't flake on it."

"Yeah, no problem." Winston waved his hand dismissively. "Go. If we need you we'll know where to call you."

"You're a good man Winston." Peter jogged up the basement stairs. "Don't let Janine push you around!"

"Yeah... right." Winston shook his head and resumed studying the blueprints. "You'd need a bulldozer and an oil slick to push someone as stubborn as Janine around."

* * *

After Abby and Erin finished telling Egon about their first major bust at the hands of Rowan North and his plans to instate the fourth cataclysm, not only through New York City, but across the entire world; they showed Egon the small bits of scrap metal left behind by the devices Rowan had used to charge the Ley Lines to begin with.

"Interesting." Egon's hindered eyes failed to identify the finer details of the device. "It appears as though this Rowan was an unspoken genius who managed to utilize the naturally occurring psychokinetic energy by using these devices to channel and concentrate the energy in a single location. Quite brilliant if not completely insane."

Holtzmann smiled a little at the comment. "That's what my mentor said about me when I graduated at the top of my class."

Patty gave Holtzmann an odd look. "Gotta' give your mentor full points on that one."

Erin looked at the scrap of metal with a new found sense of wonder as Egon turned it over in his hands. "Think you can use this technology to your advantage? Can it be used to open a portal in controlled circumstances?"

"It's entirely possible, however it'll prove itself to be a most difficult challenge."

"Because the equation Rowan used was too complex? We had the same problem."

"No, not at all." Egon set the device down on the table and looked up at Erin. "It's because without my glasses it's impossible for me to properly assign wiring and circuits."

"Oh."

Abby had a suggestion. "We could get you a new pair in a few hours. My cousin works as an ophthalmologist."

"Thank you. That'd be greatly beneficial."

"No problem." Abby retrieved her phone from her pocket and began looking for her cousin's phone number in the memory. "Besides, she owes me one. I lied about her getting drunk at the office Christmas party and said it was food-poisoning."

Egon stared at the small, flat rectangular device in Abby's hands curiously as she began speaking into it. "That item is your... telephone?"

"...Yeah." Abby confirmed in a somewhat confused tone. "Don't tell me you don't have one." A voice on the other end of the line answered. She turned her back and walked a few paces out of the room as she began talking.

"Not one that looks like... that." Egon confirmed with a perplexed stare.

"Wait... what?" Erin studied Egon's reactions as a series of interesting questions popped into her head. "Dr. Spengler don't you have a cellphone? Everyone I know has one."

"A cell... phone?"

Patty and Holtzmann exchanged confused glances as they waited for the answer. Neither woman had anything beneficial to say or contribute to the odd conversation and let it alone.

"I'm not sure what the 'cell' part of phone is even supposed to represent." Egon pressed as his own confusion continued to mount.

Erin cleared her throat awkwardly. "Cellular phone? A mobile phone? They've been around since the 70's."

"Yes, I'm aware. But I have not encountered a phone of that particular design or one that requires no antennae. Seems to be very convenient."

Abby finished her call and pocketed her phone, having only partially heard the conversation taking place beside her.

"Dr. Spengler, this question may seem incredibly odd but given the circumstances I think the question is also very appropriate in this moment." She folded her hands together nervously as Abby listened intently right alongside Patty and Holtzmann. "In your world, what is the current... year?"

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	5. Reaching Out to Friends

Dana quietly walked through the sitting room of her apartment with a cup of coffee in her hands. The coffee was almost as dark as the sleep deprived bags that had formed under her eyes after a sleepless night tending to her ill son. Oscar had at long last fallen asleep and was giving Dana a moment to herself to relax and think. As she sat down on the blue couch in the middle of the room she heard the key in the lock of her door and heard the door itself slowly push open with a soft creak.

"Peter?" She whispered as she looked over the back of the couch to the door.

"Yeah, it's me." Peter instinctively clicked the door shut as quietly as possible as he whispered in response, not wanting to disturb the young toddler. "Long night?"

"You have no idea." Dana retorted dryly as she watched Peter slip off his coat and hang it on the wall before he joined her on the couch.

The dark sleepless bags under his own eyes matched hers. "How'd it go last night?"

"Peter." Dana gently pressed her soft hand to the side of his tired face. "You look awful. Did I miss something?"

"It's..." Peter paused and lowered his voice as to not disturb Oscar. "It's complicated."

"So are you." She lovingly spoke as she moved her hand to the back of his head and pulled him forward into a hug. He rested his forehead against her shoulder and shut his tired eyes. "Tell me what happened."

Peter took in a deep breath as he prepared to her about Egon's disappearance, Ray's depression, Winston's exhaustion and his own mental turmoil in the thick of it all.

* * *

Egon sat in silent contemplation as he realized that he hadn't just traveled to another world, he had traveled to another time. Egon was now twenty-five years into the future. A future where the exploits of the Ghostbusters were now a seemingly new concept and the work performed by Egon and his own colleagues had amounted to nothing in this world.

Erin had taken the liberty of borrowing extra clothes that Kevin kept in his locker for Egon to wear. The physicist was already out of place being from another world, the emblem laden jumpsuit would only make him stand out more. "These might fit you." Erin placed a pair of dark blue jeans, a white t-shirt and a green flannel shirt down on the table in front of Egon. "Kevin's a little on the big side, in the good, sexy, muscle-y way..." She trailed off a little before finishing. "but you should be tall enough to make it work."

Abby shook her head at Erin as she joined Egon on the couch and sat next to the out of place man sympathetically. "Are you okay?"

"I've bypassed the initial shock and am now attempting to decipher why the prototype has twice now displaced two individuals from their own world into a second while also seemingly affecting the timeline."

"Timeline?" Patty asked with an irritated disposition. "Are you telling me that we're not just dealing with different world but time travel, too?"

"No, no, no." Erin spoke up having already developed a theory of her own. "I think what we're dealing with in Dr. Spengler leaving his world and ending up on our own; the worlds co-existing on their own planes without ever crossing, and because our two worlds don't cross over naturally the progression of time isn't synchronized. It appears our world is either twenty-five years older than his world."

Holtzmann tilted her head. "...or his world is twenty-five years younger than our world. Depends on how you look at it, I guess."

Patty just rolled her eyes as Abby and Erin examined the calculations Egon had always scrawled out.

"You claim that you became paranormal investigators out of a shared interest," Egon inquired thoughtfully. "and you appear to be the first to do so. I wonder if my doppelganger chose another path through life, or if I even have a doppelganger to speak of."

"Do you want to go look for... you?" Holtzmann asked excitedly as she jumped over the back of the couch and sat on the cushion beside Egon. "It'd be like meeting a long lost twin!"

"I have a twin brother." Egon stated flatly.

"Oh. How about a triplet? Or maybe he's an _evil_ twin! I like that idea better." Holtzmann looked up and away as her mind raced with her overactive imagination. "I bet you'd look great in a cliche sinister goatee."

"I fear meeting my potential doppelganger could cause a catastrophic chain of reactions." Egon gave Holtzmann a mildly bemused look. The young eager physicist reminded him of the best parts of Ray and Peter combined into one. She even had the same fearless attitude as Winston and the fiery spirit as Janine. "However there is someone I'd like to try to find. His presence could be invaluable to my successful return to my own world."

"Are you sure?" Erin wisely asked. "Our world might be a little overwhelming compared to your own."

"As a seasoned Ghostbuster who has spent a great deal of time dealing with paranormal events as well as battling with demigods I can assure you that I will be fine."

"Okay, do what you have to." Erin pointed at Abby and motioned toward the equation and scrapped device. "Want to solve the unsolvable?"

"Every day since high school." Abby replied enthusiastically. "Hey Patty, did you ever find out anything else about the Mercado?"

"I did a little digging. Let me just say this, NEVER sleep in the honeymoon suite. There have been some freaky things in that room, and I'm not talking about the spooky kind."

Egon arched a brow. "If you can locate any information on past supernatural events it could prove useful."

"What's this 'if' you're talking about?" Patty glowed with pride. "I'll find every dirty secret about that building and then-some!"

"Great!" Erin's mood improved at the positive outlook her team and guest were displaying. "We have a game plan! Except for Holtz-"

Holtzmann wrapped her arm around Egon's arm as she flashed him a cheesy smile. "I'll go with him. I want to be there in the event we accidentally tear time and space a new one!"

* * *

Ray was barely aware of the waking world as he reluctantly awakened from his much needed slumber. Laying on his side he turned his face and buried it in his soft pillow as he mentally tried to prepare himself for the laborious task at hand.

"You awake, or what?" A voice familiar only to Ray addressed him from somewhere in the bunk room.

"Huh?" Ray opened one eye and saw an old friend standing beside his bed. "It's you."

"Yeah, it's me." The heavily built man confirmed. Still wearing his black suit, black hat and sunglasses, Ray's spirit guardian had returned to give the downed engineer a much needed boost of confidence. "So, you going to help Egon or what?"

"Of course I am. I just-"

"No excuses." He scolded like a parent to a child. "Get down there, start working and save your friend."

"Save him? Egon's in danger?"

"You tell me."

"I hate it when ghosts speak in riddles..."

" _Spirit guardian_." He corrected harshly. "Ray, you're an ambitious and excitable guy, where'd all that energy go?"

"I think it got left behind in the other world."

"Bull."

"Uh..."

"Look, you were scared when you got stranded on the other world but you never admitted it. Now that you're back and everything went back to normal you feel like your fear was _misplaced_. News flash!" He grabbed Ray by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up from the bed. "It wasn't!"

"So... I _should_ be afraid?"

"Yes. And no."

"I don't follow."

Letting go of Ray's shirt he continued to spell things out. "Fear is a natural response for an unnatural occurrence. Feeling afraid is to be expected, but to deny fear even after returning to a safe space is unhealthy. You need to face this lingering fear and conquer it."

"You're right."

"Of course I am." As he strolled through the opened doorway of the bunk room he stood in the door frame and looked back over his shoulder at Ray. "And here's a little incentive to help motivate you. Find the way to bring Egon home and ALL your questions will be answered."

"They will?" Ray asked as he blinked a few times.

Winston wandered into the bunk room to check on Ray. "Will what?"

"Huh?" Ray found himself laying down on his bed with his face buried in his pillow again. "Oh... It was a dream."

"You talkin' in your sleep again?" Winston teased. "Wish I caught the beginning, you have some kinky dreams sometimes."

Ray blushed a little as he sat upright on his bed. "Where's Peter?"

"He went over to Dana's for a while. He'll be back later." Winston leaned against the door frame and gave Ray a once over. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Ray climbed off his bed and ran his hand through his messy locks of hair. "Let's do it."

* * *

With Hotzmann as his escort Egon was guided to the ophthalmologist's office, examined and given a proper pair of prescription glasses to replace the pair he had lost. Unlike his usual thin, wire, round frames Egon was wearing thick, black plastic, rectangular frames. Not one to fuss over fashion or trends Egon settled on the pair that felt the most comfortable and ignored Holtzmann's confusing comments about 'hipsters' and being 'nerd chic'.

Fortunately for Egon the clothing he had worn under his jumpsuit blended in easily with the fashions on this new world. The green flannel shirt over his own black t-shirt and properly fitting jeans gave him the layered look he often adorned on his own world. Although Holtzmann had the inescapable need to 'correct' his look when he attempted to button up the shirt and tuck it into his jeans.

Finally able to see the new world around him, Egon took in the sight of his new friend and found her free spirit quite refreshing. Her long blonde hair was pulled up into a style somewhere between a pompadour and a messy bun, a single long strand hung loose beside her right eye. Her yellow tinted goggles rested at the top of her head and were almost hidden in her hair, while her long sleeved green crop top blended well with her faded blue jeans and brown work boots.

Holtzmann was fascinated by the out-of-place physicist and wanted to figure out why he looked familiar to her. She also enjoyed the company of another physicist, not that she felt her peers intellectually inferior; just less interesting.

"So... what are we looking for, Dr. Spengler?" Holtzmann asked casually as she continued to hang onto Egon's arm as they walked down the sidewalk side by side. "Or should I ask _who_ are we looking for?"

"Egon, if you'd please. And both are sufficient questions." Egon confirmed as he rolled the long, somewhat baggy sleeves of the flannel shirt up his arm and to his bicep. Keeping the shirt opened and untucked made Egon feel a tad uncomfortable, but he was willing to put up with his 'new look' for the time being. "It's most fortunate that there is a piece of common ground between our worlds that I can potentially use to our advantage."

The duo stopped outside of a small, unremarkable building that blended in with the surrounding small shops. The entire street appeared greatly aged compared to the rest of the shops on the block.

"Huh. You know, I've gone by this place for years and never once stepped inside." Holtzmann confessed as she looked up and read the faded sign over the place of business. "Think this guy can help you?"

"If anyone possibly can help me, then yes, I believe he will." Egon's voice was firm but sincere as he spoke.

Without another word Egon pushed open the old, red door and together the duo stepped inside the decades old bookstore: 'Ray's Occult Books'.

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	6. Willing to Believe

The interior of the aged bookstore was heavy with the scent of old books, incense, candles and a faint smell of stagnant cigar smoke. The towering shelves were crammed full of leather bound tomes that would be the envy of any serious book collector as the lined the walls. Dim lighting from the yellowed overhead lights, the blocked sunlight that fought to shine through the dirty windows, and shade drawn door gave the store a dreary if not abandoned feeling. An old brass bell sat idle on the counter beside the quiet phone.

"Cheery place." Holtzmann commented as she stood before the front counter and took in the scene around her. "Shoulda' stopped in sooner. I love it!"

Egon didn't say anything as he took in the eerie environment. It seemed so familiar and yet to foreign. Usually Ray was always up front at the counter with a book on anything paranormal or supernatural to read through, but there was no one.

Looking over the counter Egon spotted the old ashtray filled with dark cigar ashes and an old chewed up pipe sitting beside it. There was a book resting with its pages wide open, but it looked as though it hadn't been read in some time.

"Should we yell for service?" Holtzmann asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave Egon an inquisitive glance. "Maybe wreck the place?"

"I believe this will be sufficient enough." Egon flatly stated as he pressed his palm down on the bell and rang it once.

"Not as fun as wrecking the place though..." Holtzmann playfully pouted as she started looking through the books on the shelf directly behind her.

A voice from the back responded to the chiming bell with a bored tone. "Be right out."

Egon felt a mixed sense of relief and fear as he recognized Ray's voice sounding off. "It _is_ Ray... Isn't it?"

"Is it?" Holtzmann asked without taking her eyes from the book she had selected.

"I was speaking to myself." Egon stated as he watched the door to the back office open.

"I know. I answered so you seem less crazy." She smiled as she gave Egon a smarmy look. "You're welcome."

From the back office a familiar figure emerged. Hunched shoulders and thinning brown hair wasn't enough to fool Egon's eyes. Ray Stantz slowly walked forward and leaned against the front of the counter without ever looking at his two guests.

"Hi." Ray poorly greeted as he absentmindedly began fumbling through an order list he carried with him from the back. "Are you here to pick an order and place one?"

"Uh... Neither." Holtzmann informed in a somewhat confused manner. "Don't you drive a cab? Pretty sure you're the cabbie Erin said blew her off when the city was being swarmed by ghosts."

"I cab at night." Ray confirmed as he looked up at the blonde woman. "Are you here to shop or hire a fare? Because, like I told your friend, I don't drive wackos or go to Chinatown."

"Actually... We were wondering if you could help us in _another_ manner."

"What manner is that?"

Holtzmann leaned against the counter to look Ray in the eyes as she answered honestly and firmly. "A paranormal manner."

Ray, paying no attention to Egon, stared at Holtzmann and gave her an odd look. "What makes you think I can help you with such a manner, young lady?"

"Ah-hem." Egon nervously cleared his throat as he caught Ray's attention. "Hello Ray."

Ray's eyes widened as he stared at Egon's face with disbelief. "You can't- No, this isn't-"

Holtzmann watched with fascination as Ray seemed to recognize Egon and struggled to find his words.

"Egon..." Ray whispered. "You look just like a friend I had."

Egon paused for a moment before confirming his identity. "I am your friend."

"No, not possible." Ray's voice shifted from confusion to certainty. "Egon Spengler died three years ago. I was at his funeral, I was a pallbearer. But you... You look so much like him." Ray's eyes became mournful as he thought back to that somber day. "Are you... Are you Egon's son?"

Egon blushed a little and Holztmann nudged him in the ribs. "You hound!"

Regaining his composure Egon refuted Ray's question. "No. Ray, it's me. I'm the Egon Spengler you have known for over twenty years."

"How is that... possible?" Ray was willing to believe the fantastic claim but wasn't entirely convinced. "Unless... you..."

"Raymond," Egon addressed Ray by him full name, which was always his way of letting Ray know when a situation was serious. "I'm Dr. Egon Spengler. You and I roomed together in college with Peter Venkman. We studied paranormal sciences in the basement of the school until we were kicked out by the dean."

"I... uh..."

Thinking quickly Egon know of one sure way to confirm his identity. "You once told me that while camping at Lake Wauconda you had your first kiss with your summer crush after sneaking out at night. Her name was Donna."

"I only ever told that to... Egon...?" Ray's eyes widened as he briefly smiled and promptly fell backward onto the floor in a cold faint.

"I think you surprised him." Holztmann leaned over the counter as Egon walked around and knelt down beside his passed out friend. She watched as Egon unfailingly tended to Ray like he would any other friend and gave Egon's strange tale more credit, but it also inspired a quip she couldn't contain. "You're not secretly a Terminator sent back through time to kill him, right?

Egon gently picked up Ray's wrist and measured his pulse as he gave Holztmann an unamused, annoyed glance.

"You _do_ know what 'Terminator' is, right?"

* * *

Dana watched as Peter dozed lightly on her couch as the fatigued psychologist finally fell asleep after the long night. She had known the Ghostbusters for many years now and also knew that if one of the guys was in form of danger or needed help that the others wouldn't hesitate to help. She also knew that Peter often put too much pressure on himself as he was a founder of the team and was the one who encouraged Ray and Egon to start the business with him to begin with.

Deciding to check in on Oscar, who was also asleep, Dana failed to notice that Peter's eyes had opened and he was now watching her quietly.

"It's a strange day for all of us, huh?" She whispered to her sleeping son. "Don't worry, everything will work out. Peter won't let us down."

Hearing her soothing words was enough for Peter to relax and fall back asleep. Having confidence instilled was all he could have asked for in the unusual moment of crisis.

* * *

Winston and Ray had begun work on a new prototype to replace the one that had been burnt out by Egon's recent (failed) test. The original prototype had been absolutely destroyed in the test leaving the unorthodox engineer and skilled mechanic with scraps of charred metal and frayed wires to sift through. Fried circuit boards and a tangle of multicolored wires littered the workbench as the duo combined their skills to create a new device to hopefully bring Egon back home.

"Okay, I think I can follow Egon's trail." Ray pointed to the most recent calculation scrawled out on the notepad. "And this, this must be the coordinates to the plane he had tried to reach."

"Why'd it fail this time?" Winston asked as he checked the metal body of the new prototype for faults.

"My guess is the power course was inadequate and it overloaded itself after sending Egon to... where ever it is he ended up."

"I just hope Egon knows we're looking for him and knows to look for a frequency to guide him back home."

"He will Zed. I know it." Ray's calm demeanor was a welcome change compared to the frightened disposition he had been carrying late the previous night. "When I was stranded on the other world I thought for sure I'd be stuck there forever. The Ghostbusters on the world simply didn't have the technology or spare parts to even make an attempt at a proper device. But when Peter showed up and told me how you guys had found a way to bring me back I knew I'd finally get home in one piece."

"And Egon knows we'd do the same for him." Winston agreed as he handed the prototype back to Ray. From up on the ground floor the two men heard the faint sound of the front door opening followed by the clicking of heels over the hard floor of the garage. "Janine."

"One of us should tell her." Ray realized with a heavy heart.

"I'll go." Winston patted Ray's shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Yeah, no problem."

Ray watched briefly as Winston exited the basement with the burden of telling Janine about Egon pressing down on his shoulders.

"There goes the bravest marine I'll ever know."

* * *

Erin and Abby had been working on the seemingly impossible equation that would allow the Ghostbusters to contain their world to the plane of another world. The science would deemed impractical, if not completely theoretical, if hadn't been for Egon's timely arrival. The prospect of connecting to another plane without the portal being opened by Ley Lines or heavy paranormal energy could be an immense breakthrough for Ghostbusting and research all together.

"This is absolutely incredible." Abby boasted as she began running calculations on her laptop. "If this Dr. Spengler is correct then it's entirely possible to trap ghosts and send them to another world."

"That'd definitely cut down on scientists getting thrown out of windows..."

"Yeah, I still kinda' feel bad about that." Abby hid a small snicker of amusement. She had never liked Dr. Martin Heiss, so seeing his arrogant body being tossed through the window was a macabre but funny memory to her. "But only a little bit. I mean, the guy was kind of a jerk. AND he brought it on himself!"

"But he didn't deserve to get knocked out of a window!"

"Didn't he?"

Erin shook her head and went back to her own research on her own laptop. While Abby had been solely looking into the equation with her full focus, Erin had been partially working on the equation as well as looking into the name 'Egon Spengler'. Her results were unsurprising yet shocking to say the least.

"Now I know why he looks so familiar." Erin realized in hushed tone. "Should we tell him or-"

"I wonder how Patty is doing?" Abby thought out loud as she checked over her work. When Erin didn't respond she asked again. "Erin? Did you hear me?"

"Huh? What?" Erin changed the tab on her browser from Egon Spengler and back to the equation.

"I said I wonder if Patty uncovered anything else about the hotel?"

"Oh. Yeah." Erin's demeanor changed entirely. "I wonder why that building is so important. What makes it special and why do supernatural events keep happening there?"

* * *

Egon had managed to rouse Ray up enough from his state of unconsciousness to pull him up into a sitting position and gain his attention. Fortunately no customers had entered the store and Holtzmann was able to help keep Ray supported upright as he leaned against the wall.

"Ray?" Egon was doing his best to keep the already shocked man from passing out a second time. "Ray can you hear me?"

"...Yeah." Ray opened his eyes and put a hand up on Egon's shoulder as he began grinning like an idiot. "It's nice to see you again."

"Ray," Egon was trying to ignore the emotional reaction Ray had toward his arrival. "we need your help."

"Anything for a friend."

"First I need to tell you exactly what's going on and why I'm here."

"Yeah, go ahead. I'm all ears!"

"And," Egon put his hand on Ray's arm to ensure his friend was paying full attention. "I need you to keep your word that you will NOT tell me about my own fate, and you cannot tell anyone else about my arrival."

"Egon, why would I want to relive your death? It was awful."

Holtzmann nodded in agreement. "He has a point. That would be pretty sick."

"Right." Offering his hand to Ray to take he motioned for the man to get back to his feet. "Okay, we need to talk. Can we speak in private?"

"Sure. I'll lock the door and meet you in the back." Ray slowly made his way to the front door and turned the lock and flipped over the 'open' sign to 'close'. "That's the one perk to slow business. You were right Egon, print is dead."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	7. Regrouping

Patty returned to the firehouse with an armload of books and a satisfied grin of job well done on her face. Reaching the second floor where Erin and Abby working together to solve Egon's equation she set the various books down on the desk beside them and prepared to go into great detail about the dark and secretive information she had uncovered about the now infamous Mercado Hotel.

"Okay ladies, check this out!" Patty picked up the book at the top of the pile and flipped it open to a pre-marked page. "This hotel has one nasty history and I think it's a history the city is trying to bury!"

"What do you mean?" Erin asked with an intrigued lilt and she looked at the opened page.

"This hotel wasn't always known as the Mercado." Patty stated confidently. "And yet they claim that the building was ALWAYS known as the Mercado and was built only twenty years ago."

"Wait," Abby wasn't following Patty's logic. "how can they claim a building was only recently built if it's been there for years prior?"

"Secrets, lies and a WHOLE lotta' money changing hands!" Patty boasted as she took a second book and open that to yet another pre-marked page. "It took me all night and most of the morning but I found a trail."

"All night?" Erin looked at her watch and realized it was almost ten in the morning. "Oh man, we've been working all night!"

"We have, haven't we?" Abby slipped off her glasses and rubbed at her tired eyes. "I swore I'd never pull an all-nighter ever again after I graduated."

"Where are Holtzmann and Dr. Spengler?" Erin asked in a concerned manner. "I don't trust her to not take advantage of him!"

"They'll be fine." Abby dismissed the worry with a sleep yawn. "I think someone as smart as him can handle someone as crazy as her."

"Yeah, well," Patty sat down at the desk next to her friends. "I say we take a break and get back to working on this problem together after they get back. I smell a cover-up and I think it has a lot to do with all the ghosts that have been favoring the Mercado lately."

* * *

Ray had taken Egon and Holtzmann into the back office of his bookstore to allow a private conversation to take place amongst the odd trio of friends. Gathered around a small, round wooden table, sitting on bar stools beneath a lone hanging dull light the two fantastic tales were told to their full extent. After Holtzmann went into detail about founding the Ghostbusters, the constant hassling from government lackeys and the confrontation at the Mercado Hotel, Egon followed up with his own account of events as a Ghostbuster and how he came to be in this new plane of existence.

As the two stories unfolded a smirk of pure delight creased Ray's face.

"This is incredible." Ray admitted as he listened intently to every word spoken. "Absolutely incredible."

Egon remained stoic and serious about the situation. "Can you assist me in creating a prototype to return me to my own world?"

"I'd be happy to." Ray accepted the offer with the same glee as a child on Christmas day. "Tell me where we need to go and what I need to do."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Holtzmann was a little confused by recruiting the Ray Stantz of her world to help Egon. "Spengler, baby, I know you that the Ray Stantz on your team is a brilliant engineer but the Ray Stantz of MY world, the world you're currently stranded in, is a cab driver."

"-And successful small business owner." Ray tagged on.

"Right, that's a given."

"...And," Ray added one more detail. "a graduate of Cambridge with a degree in engineering and an honorary doctorate in art."

Holtzmann, never at a loss for word, was stunned by the revelation. "You're still... an engineer?"

"Yup."

"Then why didn't you...?"

Ray's smile disappeared rather quickly. "I don't want to talk about it." He clapped his hands together readily as he stood up from the small table. "So, shall we get going?"

"Yes." Egon was anxious to begin work. "Hopefully our other colleagues have uncovered further information to use at our disposal."

* * *

Peter had returned to the firehouse in his own world after taking the time to recuperate at Dana's apartment. Oscar's cold wasn't severe and Dana insisted that he go back to help out Ray and Winston in their work. But as Peter entered the garage he was dismayed to see Janine sitting at her desk with a look of absolute dread plastered over her normally confident face. Her hands were knotted together into tight fists over the surface of her desk as she stared into nothingness as her mind raced with unending thoughts of possible worst-case scenarios.

Unable to walk by her desk without saying a few words, Peter took a more sensitive approach to the fiery receptionist. "Hi Janine."

"Hello Dr. Venkman." She answered coldly.

"We'll bring Egon home. I swear."

"Yeah... Sure."

"Janine," Peter gently put his hand over hers and gave her a kind smile. "have I ever lied to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No. But I promise you we'll find a way to save Egon. Just be patient."

"A lesson in patience from you? I must be a total wreck!"

"Well, not a _total_ wreck." He joked lightly.

Janine gave him a small smile before staring blankly at the surface of her desk again.

"Okay. Just let us know if anything happens. We'll be down in the basement."

"Yeah, no problem."

Peter hustled down the stairs and found Ray toiling at the workbench with Winston sitting next to him with his eyes barely open. The two men had been working all night long and all through the morning while Peter had been resting at Dana's apartment.

Patting Winston's shoulder Peter offered to take his place. "Tag out Winston. Go get some sleep."

Unwilling to leave at first Winston soon realized how tired he actually was and agreed to go rest for a while. "Yeah... Okay. Let me know if you figure out how to bring Egon home."

"No problem." Peter put both hands on Winston's shoulders and guided him up from his seat and toward the basement stairs. "Go enjoy a little catnap."

Ray gave Peter an appreciative nod. "Glad you're here."

"So am I." Peter took Winston's seat and leaned over the workbench to eye Ray's work. "How's it going?"

"Steady." Ray assured confidently as he finished soldering the last of the circuit boards in place. "How's everything with Dana and Oscar?"

"Better than things here. I see Janine had been told about Egon's little accident."

"Yeah. Winston told her. I have a newfound respect for that guy. He managed to tell her without her freaking out."

"Now that's a gift!"

"Okay, so if I followed Egon's calculations correctly..." Ray set aside the prototype and double checked his work. "all we need to do is utilize a more suitable and stable power supply to activate it."

"So that's one problem handled."

"One?" Ray's brow arched in confusion. "There's a second?"

"Yeah." Peter confirmed dryly. "We have a way to open the portal from our side, but what about his?"

"I... uh..." Ray bowed his head as a sense of defeat threatened to take over his mind. "That's right. You came through the portal on this side to give me the proper device to open the portal from my side when I was stranded on the other world."

"We can't just rinse and repeat?"

"No. By all accounts the only power source adequate enough to power the portal is a single life cell in our storage."

"Let me guess, we only have a single source of that single life cell, right?"

"Right. One and done."

"Great..." Peter sighed and leaned back in the chair as he turned slightly left and to the right like an in patient child. "Egon's smart. I'm sure he'll find a way to power a prototype of his own. How long with the power source last once activated?"

"It'll remain active and stable until it's turned off manually. Once powered down it can never be used again."

"So why not leave it powered up indefinitely?"

"Because leaving a portal to another world opened with no clues as to what could cross over would be the biggest mistake of our lives."

"Ah, I see." Peter looked at the prototype with an annoyed glance. "A bigger mistake than building those damn things to begin with?"

"Yeah, A LOT bigger!"

"We seem to specialize in big problems. Good thing our reputation precedes us."

* * *

Holtzmann, Egon and Ray walked back to the firehouse together and stared at the towering brick structure with a sense of home in their eyes. Holtzmann had readily turned the second floor into a functioning laboratory, while Egon still thought of it as the rec room back on his world. Ray himself seemed oddly familiar with the place and eager to return.

"Everyone should still be inside." Holtzmann stated as she unlocked the front door of the firehouse. "They might asleep, too."

"Should we wake them?" Egon asked as he and Ray quietly followed her inside.

"Don't worry, I got this." Pulling open the door of their 'company' hearse Holtzmann set off the siren with annoyingly loud blare before shouting over it. "We're HOME!"

Egon and Ray put their hands protectively over their ears and gave each other a slightly confused glance.

"Don't worry," Holtzmann insisted as she turned off the siren with a twisted grin. "they love this."

"HOLTZMANN!" Patty's voice shouted down angrily from the second floor. "Do that again and I'm going to tear that siren off the hood of the car!"

"See?"

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	8. A Storm is Coming

A brief introduction of Ray Stantz to the other Ghostbusters was a little tense as Holtzmann's hunch about Ray being the cabbie who refused to assist Erin the night Rowan attacked New York had been correct. Always quick to apologize and never afraid to admit when he's wrong Ray offered his sincerest of apologies to which Erin readily accepted and welcomed him aboard the unusual team. Holtzmann also apologized for her rude awakening, but the others were ready to forgive her... Yet.

"Patty has found some really interesting secrets about the Mercado." Abby stated as she poured everyone a much needed cup of fresh coffee. "Erin and I managed to a make little progress on the equation last night but nothing we can use just yet. Until then we need to delve into every dirty little secret Patty uncovered."

"My favorite kind of secret." Holtzmann flashed Abby a playful smirk as she became completely engaged in the moment. "Dirty."

The four women and two men were gathered around a round table in the lab on the second floor. Egon had Ray on his right and Holtzmann on his left with Erin directly across from him, Abby to her right and Patty to her left.

"Okay guys, check it out." Patty opened every book to a pre-marked page and pointed to the articles of interest one by one. "This hotel has a really messed up past. I mean REALLY messed up! Worse than a sad janitor in their basement building world ending weapons messed up!"

Ray's brow arched with a mixture of worry and intrigue. "That's pretty messed up..."

"Look at this." Patty pointed to a photograph of the Mercado and then to a second photo of a building standing where the Mercado was currently built. "There was something here before the Mercado, and yet," she next pointed to the date that the Mercado was supposedly built and opened and highlighted the confirmed date of its grand opening. "the history of the city says that the Mercado had ALWAYS been there."

Erin pulled the two photos toward herself and compared them side by side. "These are two completely different buildings! It can't even be argued that the Mercado went under heavy renovation either. What happened here?"

"I see what you mean." Ray agreed with Erin and Patty. "The original building is much taller and wider than the Mercado. And look, these support columns are in completely different locations compared to the Mercado, this isn't the same building at all. You can see from the foundation that something was torn down and a new building was placed over it. How did no one notice?"

"Mandela effect." Egon flatly interjected. "No one will question the truth if a lie is spread far and wide enough until it's believed and replaces the truth."

"But who would lie about an old building and hide it's existence?"

Patty slid a large book toward Ray. "I think this could be why. Take a look."

Egon adjusted his glasses as he too read the article Patty uncovered. A chill went up his spine and his mouth went dry with worry as he read a dreadfully familiar name associated with the story.

"It took me hours to trace things back this far," Patty's eyes were focused and her voice firm. "and I think I know why they tried to hide the history of the building. And honestly, I don't blame them. But it's still pretty sick."

Ray finished reading and gave Egon an odd look. "There was a demigod worshiping cult in New York City?"

Egon pointed to the name mentioned in the article. "Yes. And this man was the cult's twisted and charismatic, brilliant founder: Ivo Shandor."

* * *

In the basement of the firehouse Peter, Ray and Winston had gathered with the finished prototype resting on the floor at a safe distance from them. With much reluctance and after enduring countless tests the three Ghostbusters were ready to power up the device and hope that it didn't fail. They had only one shot. If the power cell was overwhelmed and burned out then the device could never operate again. Egon would remain trapped in another world.

"This is it." Ray announced as he held the remote release trigger in his hand with his other, trembling, hand hovering over the button. "We have to make this count or Egon could be stranded forever."

"Well, there's no point in turning back." Peter crossed his arms defiantly as he stared the prototype. "We've come this far, let's just go all the way."

Winston took a deep breath and let it out in a cleansing sigh. "We've run countless tests, checked and re-checked our work and we've run the power cell through every system possible to ensure that it's stable; as worried as we are we have to do it. Ray, press the button."

"You got it." With a precise click Ray activated the prototype and physically braced for any possible failures by bringing up his arms to shield himself.

The prototype roared to life with a burst of light and a steady whir of electricity. The metal body shook rhythmically with the surging power but didn't seem to be in danger of overloading or the power cell destabilizing in the process.

"It's working..." Ray lowered his arms slowly. "It's working!"

Peter wasn't entirely convinced as he eyed the device warily. "How can we know for sure?"

Winston took a PKE meter from the workbench and held it out at arm's length toward the suspicious device. "All readings are stable, no fluctuations or excessive power displacement."

"Good. That's good." Ray's arms dropped down to his side with relief. "Now all we have to do is monitor the portal until... something... happens."

"Great." Peter gave Ray an irritated glance. " _Something_. Very scientific there, Ray."

Winston turned off the PKE meter and turned to his colleagues. "Should we take shifts to watch it or set up some monitoring equipment?"

"We should do both." Ray replied as he rubbed at the back of his neck anxiously. "I don't want to take any chances."

* * *

Erin and Abby were dumbfounded as Egon told the tale of Ivo Shandor and his cult of Gozer worshipers. The twisted cult had an influence on the weak minded throughout the city since the 1920's and Shandor's hand had been a part of many architectural wonders that had secretly housed the underground activities of the cult. It seemed his influence had a far greater reach than even the Ghostbusters had anticipated...

"Wait a minute," Holtzmann was following the same trail that Patty had uncovered and caught on quick. "you're saying the Mercado was originally called the Sedgwick Hotel and was a hotspot for cult activity? That explains a thing or two."

"Yeah, like why the Mercado lied about its history." Patty tagged on dryly. "But hey, if I find out my apartment building held a meeting with the Manson family I'd opt out of my lease right now."

"So Egon," Holtzmann turned to the physicist. "you said that your first major encounter as a Ghostbuster was against Gozer and that Gozer had created some kind of gateway from his world to yours, do you think this is why you were able to connect from your world to ours through the Mercado? Like a residual energy is lingering in the building and can be channeled into creating a portal similar to the one Gozer had used?"

"Yes. Exactly right." Egon was relieved to have an ally who could follow particle physics as well as he could. "That's my working theory.

Abby got an excited look on her face. "Oh man, this is BIG. If we can create a device on our world like the one from your world we can not only open a portal and send you home, but we can use portals to trap ghosts and eliminate any dangerous anomaly with minimal risk to our world in the process! I love it!"

"Ray," Egon turned to his old friend. "I'm going to need your help if we're going to build a prototype that'll function properly."

"Gladly. It's been too long since we had any projects together."

A thunderous boom from the city caught the group off guard. Dark storm clouds were gathering quickly and seemed to be centering in the heart of the city; collecting as a single swirling mass.

"That's not good..." Erin winced. "Those are the same kind of dark clouds we saw when Rowan tried to enact his cataclysm."

"And as we all know," Abby's excitement faded into concern. "there are no coincidences. Dr. Spengler, I get the feeling that whatever's unfolding in the city is going to need our attention. ALL of our attention."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	9. Waiting For a Sign

Egon and Ray rose from the table and stared through the large window of the second floor as they studied the gathering dark clouds of an ethereal storm brewing over the city. The sky darkened and a cold breeze blew through the city streets causing many citizens on the sidewalk to hunker down and protect their faces from the stinging wind while seeking shelter. Scattered newspapers and bits of garbage had been stirred up in the wind and now danced about the hastily vacated streets.

"Egon, this looks bad." Ray observed in a low, even voice as he stared with pure fascination at the sky outside. "What do we do to handle this?"

Shaking his head slightly Egon answered in a low tone himself. "We need to get a reading on the storm and we need to find a way to stop, or at the very least contain it."

Abby turned on the TV in the corner of the rec room and easily found a news report covering the manifesting storm. "Hey guys, check this out."

Erin and Patty stood beside Abby while Holtzmann craned her neck from the table. Ray and Egon turned where they stood and watched the news coverage from the window. Erin crossed her chilled arms nervously as she stared at the live footage of the storm. "Same type of thermal displacement energy during Rowan's attack."

Abby agreed with Erin. "I think that portal Rowan created has been re-opened."

"Ley Lines?" Erin inquired with a curious lilt in her voice.

"Maybe."

Egon's shoulders sagged as he began to theorize about the unexpected event. "Perhaps my untimely arrival disturbed the natural barriers between the worlds and has resulted in a destabilized gateway."

Ray gave his friend a curious glance. "When I went to the other world the gateway wasn't unstable. What makes this different?"

Egon shot Ray a highly inquisitive look. "You have memories of traveling to a second world?"

Ray blushed a little stammered over his words. "Y-Yeah... I guess I do."

"How is that-"

A bolt of bright green lightning streaked through the sky and caused the power in the firehouse to flicker, dim and resume normal illumination. The muffled cries of fear from the onlookers outside caught the attention of the Ghostbusters as they braced themselves for the incoming storm.

Holtzmann looked up at the light in the ceiling above her as it steadily regained its proper illumination. "That's not good."

"No. It's not." Ray readily tagged on. "Do you have any scanners that can take a reading on the storm? We need to check out the power that this thing is creating."

Holtzmann motioned with her thumb over her shoulder to a massive metal locker filled with her favorite 'toys'. "There's a gigameter that can get a clear reading on the electrical activity in the air. We also have a PKE meter if you want to check for paranormal disturbances."

"We better take both." Ray walked over to the locker and eyed the various meters, scanners and gauges. "Uh... which is which?"

"Here." Holtzmann met Ray by the locker. "Let Holtzmann hook you up with the good stuff."

Egon slowly walked over the television and watched the news report along with the other Ghostbusters. The report went into great detail on how the people were beginning to panic and flee, but there was little to no information about the storm itself.

Patty's eyes widened. "Aw man, look! The storm is sitting right above the Mercado! I knew that place wasn't to be trusted!"

Abby pointed to the guest being escorted out of the building. "Something's happening there, why else would they be evacuating the guests?"

"We need to get down there." Erin decided as he nervously glanced out the window by peeking over her shoulder. "We need to get a more accurate reading."

Ray, now holding the proper equipment, joined the others by the TV. "I'll go. I want to get a good look at the storm."

Nodding Egon took one of the two devices from Ray's hands. "I'll go as well."

"Okay, good." Erin nervously let of a shaking breath. "We'll go check out the hotel and you guys stay here and keep an eye on the news. Whatever is happening is our responsibility."

"Right, no problem." Abby's eyes were fixated on the TV screen. "Get a reading and come right back, I don't want the mayor bothering us again."

Erin lead the way from the second floor to the garage with Egon and Ray accompanying her. The trio acted as a single unit as the three very different people had the same goal in mind; uncover the dark and all but forgotten secrets of the Mercado.

* * *

Peter attempted to stifle a deep yawn with his hand as he stared with heavy eyes at the static portal that continuously glowed with ionized light in the basement. He had been keeping an eye on the portal for three hours now and the novelty of the situation had run its course about two and half hours prior. Flicking a deck of playing cards, one by one, into an old mop bucket in the corner of the room Peter casually glanced back and forth from the portal, to the bucket and to the large camera stationed in the corner of the basement that was aimed at said portal.

"Glad I'm getting paid for this." Peter lamented as he flipped the three of diamonds into the bucket. "This is a test of mental endurance and emotional fortitude. Good thing I went crazy years ago..."

* * *

Erin drove the hearse down the street with Egon and Ray riding passenger. The drive itself was slow as the streets were crowded with people attempting to get away from the heart of the storm flooding every possible opening. Police were keeping control of the situation and keeping the already frightened New Yorkers calm as they escorted the mass of vehicles down designated routes.

"This very bad." Ray noted from the back of the hearse as the gigameter was already picking up high electrical readings. "This storm is very, very powerful. And it's unnatural."

"Supernatural?" Erin asked as she slowly made her way down the street.

"Possibly. Is the PKE meter detecting anything?"

Egon had easily figured out the alternate design of the meter and powered it up accordingly. "Trace amounts of PKE residue. I cannot locate the original source but I have a feeling we'll find it with little difficulty."

The sky continued to darken and the air became colder with each passing minute. Erin turned on the heater in the car and watched her escaping breath disappear into a cloud before her eyes. "Temperature change present."

Egon nodded as the meter continued to record psychokinetic activity. "This is a very powerful entity. Almost as powerful as the terror dogs."

"Terror dogs?" Erin asked as she eyed the storm overhead warily.

"Two of Gozer's lieutenants." Egon answered firmly. "Very powerful monstrous creatures that had the ability to possess and control human hosts, using the hosts as vessels to house the necessary energy required to allow Gozer to cross his dimension into ours."

"Oh..." Erin gave Egon a nervous look. "I might be allergic to dogs... Is it too late to say that?"

Ray smirked a little while Egon didn't give her a response. Reaching up from the backseat Ray put a reassuring hand on Erin's shoulder. "You'll be fine. Just because we're getting similar readings to the terror dogs doesn't mean we'll actually encounter the terror dogs."

"I hope you're right." Erin sighed as she pulled the hearse along the block of the hotel and put it in park. "I don't think I can handle a dog attack today. And I don't want this experience to ruin puppies for me..."

* * *

Abby, Patty and Holtzmann were still gathered around the TV together in the rec room. The news story was almost as hypnotic as the storm swirling in the sky outside. The hotel had been evacuated, citing power failure as the cause, but the three observant Ghostbusters knew better than that.

"Can you believe this?" Patty motioned at the TV with complete irritation. "They seriously think we'll buy this whole power outage lie without battin' an eye!"

"People are stupid." Holtzmann stated firmlyas she fell back onto the couch. "And when people are afraid the become twice as stupid. They'll believe anything until they have a reason to stop."

Abby sighed and took a seat on the couch beside Holtzmann. "I just can't believe this is happening again! Did we miss something during our first investigation or is there some other sad pale man trying to take down the city?"

"Uh, honestly Abby," Patty joined her on the couch. "since we're talking about New York I wouldn't be that surprised."

Kevin had clocked in for his shift for the day and had managed to creep up the stairs and wander into the rec room unnoticed. He stared at his three bosses as they watched the TV without acknowledging his arrival.

"Hey guys?" His loud voice caused the Abby and Patty to jump in surprise, while Holtzmann didn't even flinch. "Did you see the sky this morning? It looks kinda' weird."

Patty and Abby exchanged annoyed glances with each other before looking back at Kevin over the couch. "Yes Kevin." Abby confirmed. "We noticed..."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	10. Seeking Answers

Keeping their composure in check Erin, Egon and Ray ventured into the front lobby of the recently vacated Mercado Hotel. Only a handful of staff remained inside the building as the storm outside built intensified at an alarming rate. Green lightning shot across the sky through the darkening clouds as a faint, cold drizzle began to fall from the storm clouds above.

"Excuse me?" Erin spotted the front desk receptionist attempting to gather her personal items before joining the guests and other staff members in the evacuation. Approaching the desk she put her hands down on the surface and locked eyes with the red headed woman. "What's going on here?"

"You're kidding, right?" The receptionist asked. "Of all the people in the city I figured you'd be the one on top of things."

Ray awkwardly looked away from the receptionist as he discreetly resumed scanning the area. Egon, however, was a little stunned to see that the hotel receptionist was in fact Janine Melnitz. She too had a change of career in this world, just like Ray.

"What do you mean?" Erin asked with sincere confusion. "I saw the report on the news and the storm outside, that's it."

"Yeah, well," Janine grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "you and your friends know more about this spooky business than I do. You got that pain in the ass Rowan out of here so you can stay here and take a look around. Just don't tell my boss I let you do this."

"Uh, thanks? I guess..."

"Don't thank me." Janine cautioned Erin as she huffed out from the behind the desk and joined a bellhop at the front door. "It makes me an accessory to... whatever it is you do. Just lock the door on the way out."

As Janine passed by Ray and Egon the two men tried to avoid eye contact but they could feel her staring intently at the duo. Without another word she slipped out the door and left the three Ghostbusters alone inside the hotel.

"Egon," Ray showed him the meter's display and whispered calmly. "the whole building is very hot."

"The building is the epicenter of paranormal activity. There must be a catalyst somewhere in the immediate area."

"Right, find it and contain it."

Erin joined her colleagues where they stood by the doors. "Well, she gave us the run of the place. Should we take advantage of her offer?"

"Yes." Egon decided firmly. "You should call the others and have them meet us here. Bring all of the equipment you have."

"No problem." Pulling her cellphone from her pocket Erin dialed Abby's number. "Holtzmann has been stockpiling gadgets just in case of a situation like this."

Ray had an interesting thought on the manner. "Good thing she's on our side."

* * *

Back at the firehouse Abby was painstakingly trying to explain the situation to Kevin, who had left the firehouse the night before without being introduced to Egon or Ray, and she was losing her patience. Kevin was a very nice guy who tried hard and always had an upbeat attitude, but his understanding of science or the commonalities of the world around him still had a lot to be desired.

"So... The guy I carried up here is a friend of ours?" Kevin asked dimly. "And he's from another world? But he's _not_ an alien?"

"Yes, that's right." Abby's frustration was palpable, but Holtzmann and Patty were just sitting back on the couch and enjoying the odd show. "Egon is from a parallel world and he's going to help us."

"How is he going to stop a storm?"

"The storm isn't a normal storm," Abby reiterated in a slower tone of voice. "the storm is being caused by a paranormal event at the Mercado Hotel."

"Oh." Kevin was finally beginning to understand. "Then shouldn't you be at the hotel?"

"We'll go if-" Abby's phone started to ring. "Hold on." Answering her phone she took a few steps away and began speaking with Erin on the other end of the line.

Holtzmann looked over at Patty with a twisted grin on her face. "Think Erin would be mad if we put Kevin in a maze and timed how long it takes for him to find the cheese?"

"Yeah, but I don't care." Patty shook her head a little. "Sometimes I'm amazed at how oblivious he can be. I wonder if he ate paint chips as a kid."

"Paint Chips?" Kevin heard the odd comment. "I don't know that brand. Is it good?"

Holtzmann and Patty just exchanged glances of absolute shock without saying a word.

Abby returned to her colleagues. "Okay ladies, that was Erin. We need to get our gear and get down the hotel."

"Yes!" Holtzmann shot her arms in the air in excitement as she jumped off the couch. "It's about time!"

"Aw, man..." Patty was far less enthusiastic than Holtzmann. "I hope we're going to get paid for this."

Abby put her hand on Kevin's arm. "Kevin help Holtzmann carry the heavy things and put them in the car. Then stay here and watch the news, okay?"

"Sure boss, no problem!" Kevin followed Holtzmann to the storage cabinet and began hefting the larger pieces of equipment over his broad shoulders. "Happy to help!"

Abby looked over at Patty. "He may be as dumb as a mule but at least he's as strong as one."

* * *

Erin showed Egon and Ray to the basement of the hotel. The large pieces of machinery that Rowan had accumulated and twisted into a contraption designed to channel the flow of the charged Ley Lines had long since been removed by city officials and locked away, but the electrical scorching on the walls and floor remained in place. The outline of the machinery was a macabre tribute to his devious work that made Erin's stomach turn.

"This is where Rowan had set up his machines." Erin explained. "After charging Ley Lines across the city he used his machine to focus the power before he... killed himself."

"Killed himself?" Ray was a little shocked by that detail. "Can't imagine why the newspaper left out a story of a hotel janitor offing himself in his secret lab in the basement."

"Yeah, anyway," Erin stopped next to the outline on the floor and tried to visually remember the set up. "along with the machine he also had these large mirror like objects that housed ghosts that had followed the trail emitted by the Ley Lines and when the machine powered down the ghosts disappeared."

Egon began scanning the walls and the needle of the display spiked instantly. "There's a high amount of lingering psychokinetic energy infused with the very foundation of the building. The entire structure is acting like a lightning rod, drawing in power entities but they have nowhere to go except for the internal construction of the building itself."

Erin folded her hands nervously and pressed them to her face. "The entire hotel is haunted. Every square inch is housing paranormal energy. It's no wonder a gateway to another world opened here."

"Where exactly did you end up?" Ray asked Egon as he looked around the basement curiously.

"According to Dr. Holtzmann and Miss Tolan I was found in the renovated ballroom on the top... floor."

"Egon? You okay?" Ray could see that a disturbing thought had entered Egon's mind.

"Renovation." Egon repeated sternly. "The hotel's recent renovation had disturbed the paranormal energy which is what allowed the gateway to gain enough power without a secondary device to focus it. This is why I ended up here in the hotel in another world."

"That's one mystery solved." Erin pointed out with a low tone. "But one mystery still remains."

"How do we get Egon back home?" Ray tagged on. "Can we use the excess psychokinetic energy to create a stable enough gateway, and if so, how do we know it'll send him to the correct world?"

The sounds of multiple footsteps rushing down the basement stairs caught the trio's attention. "There you are!" Abby shouted as she caught sight of Erin. "Sorry, it took us a while to get here. It's a little difficult to find a cab that'll carry three people AND unlicensed equipment without asking too many questions."

Abby, Patty and Holtzmann reached the interior of the basement, their jumpsuits were soaked at the shoulders and chest with the rain that had become heavier over time with the powerful storm brewing overhead.

"Sorry..." Erin winced after realizing her mistake of taking the hearse and leaving her team without a vehicle. "We should definitely get a second car."

"You think?" Abby sarcastically asked as she shoved Erin's jumpsuit in her arms. "Here. Suit up."

"Thanks."

Holtzmann handed Egon his own jumpsuit. "This is yours. You might want to suit up."

Egon accepted his jumpsuit gratefully.

"And this," Holtzmann handed a jumpsuit of a somewhat similar design and color to Egon's over to Ray. "is for you. I found it in storage when I was cleaning out the firehouse. I took the liberty of attaching a logo to the sleeve so you didn't look weird."

"Uh, thanks."

Patty handed Erin a proton pack after she slipped on her own jumpsuit and zipped it up. "Here. No woman should be unarmed."

"I remember." Erin pulled the pink Swiss army knife from her jumpsuit's leg pocket. "Never go on a bust without it."

Egon and Ray zipped up their own jumpsuits and continued to scan the air for paranormal anomalies. Only four proton packs had been constructed and were fully functioning, and logically the women who had the most experience with the packs were going to use them. Armed with the four packs and four traps the group of six ventured forward deeper into the hotel.

Abby powered up her proton pack and checked the current energy level. "I'm good to go. So where am I going?"

"We need to check out the ballroom." Egon stated without flinching. "I believe we will uncover the catalyst and as a result we can contain the building psychokinetic energy before it becomes unstable."

Deafening thunder shook the hotel as the already dim lights flickered in response to the strengthening storm outside.

"I hope you're right." Abby sighed as the group made their way back up to the ground floor. "I don't want a lawsuit on our record."

Holtzmann gave Abby a playful look. "Why not? It gives us credibility as a legitimate business."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	11. Running Out of Time

Peter was sitting on the floor of the basement with his back pressed up against the cold brick wall, his legs outstretched before him and his arms crossed together in front of his chest. Steadily his heavy eyes would fall a little further and his head would nod down rhythmically as the potent mixture of boredom and fatigue began to wear against his resolve to keep watch over the opened gateway.

Janine quietly walked down in the basement and curiously peered into the isolated area. Staring at the brightly lit portal only made her heart race with worry and she couldn't help but fear the worst for Egon's fate.

Just as Janine was about to turn around and walk away Peter's voice called out to her. "I know you're there."

Pausing Janine let out a weary sigh and decided to join Peter in his watch. "Ray and Winston are out on a call."

"Is that really all you wanted to tell me? Or is there something else on your pretty little mind?"

Slowly she sat down on the floor beside him and stared at the gateway. "I couldn't leave without knowing Egon would be okay."

Peter gave the normally confident receptionist an empathetic glance as he too was just as worried about Egon. "Yeah. I feel the same way."

"I just wish we knew if he was... If he _is_ alright." She forcibly corrected herself as she pulled her knees up to her chest as she sat on the floor.

Releasing a deep sigh Peter uncrossed his arms and wrapped one around Janine's shoulders without a word. She leaned over against him and let the psychologist hold her in a much needed hug of support as the two sat together and kept vigil over the gateway, waiting for some sign from their missing friend.

* * *

Holtzmann and Patty lead the way through the Mercado as the group made their way to the ballroom on the top floor of the hotel. As six Ghostbusters ascended through the hotel the meters began registering higher and higher levels of psychokinetic energy. The air became heavier and colder as the storm outside raged on becoming stronger, louder and the lightning strikes more frequent.

"Sorry about the hike guys." Holtzmann called out as she easily strolled up the lengthy staircase. "If I had my way Egon would've shown up in the heart of Disney World."

Egon blushed a little but didn't respond as he and Ray walked side by side, taking up the rear, with their meters in hand.

"Holtzy," Patty muttered as the group continued their climb. "why didn't we take the elevator like we did last time?"

"Because the storm could affect the power and I don't want to be trapped in an elevator. There's a reason I mentioned Disney World earlier. Anyone else familiar with the lore of the 'Tower of Terror'?"

Erin dismissed the claim. "That's just a story." She thought for a moment before looking to Abby and whispering. "Right? It's not a _real_ story, is it?"

Abby just shrugged her shoulders and whispered back. "No clue."

Holtzmann shouted down the stairwell to her companions. "Made it! Top floor!" She pushed open the door slowly and propped it open as she waited for her team to join her. "It's deserted. Wanna' party?"

"Maybe later." Ray joked as the group passed through the opened door and stood in the hallway. "Which way?"

"This way." Holtzmann pointed as she continued to lead the group. "It was barricaded off due to the ongoing renovations. Me and Patty had to slip under the barricade to get to Egon."

"Yeah," Patty reminisced bitterly. "and we used the elevator both ways!"

The meters in Egon and Ray's hands suddenly let out a painfully loud screech as the devices began to overheat from the heavy activity in the air.

"Shit!" Ray turned off his meter quickly as Egon did the same. "In all my years of studying the paranormal I've NEVER encountered any potential being that could generate so much energy, not even Gozer the Gozerian."

Egon arched an eyebrow at Ray's comment. ' _How does Ray have a memory of Gozer_?'

Erin was nervous. She had essentially taken the role of the leader of the Ghostbusters but she hadn't developed the confidence to lead the team just yet. Unwilling the pass off on the responsibility and put one of her friends on the line she mentally steeled herself and turned to Egon for guidance.

"Dr. Spengler what should we go to stop this threat?"

"You'll need the proper equipment to neutralize this degree of energy. Your proton packs and traps will not be enough."

"So what do we need?"

"Ray and I need to finish the prototype." Egon's answer was firm and full of the confidence that Erin so desperately wanted. "It goes against my better judgment to leave you alone in such a dangerous location, but without the prototype this world will fall prey to whatever entity is now lurking inside the hotel."

"Then you should go." Erin unsheathed the thrower of her proton pack and held it between her hands. "We'll monitor the situation from here."

Abby pulled out her phone and tossed it to Ray. "We'll call you if anything happens here."

Ray felt just as guilty as Egon for needing to leave the four less experienced Ghostbusters alone, but he knew that Egon was right about the prototype. "Okay. Don't hesitate to call if you need back-up."

"Yeah, right..." Patty unsheathed her own thrower. "That's comforting."

Egon nodded in respectful approval. "We'll return as soon as possible."

As Egon and Ray, the two most experienced paranormal investigators of the group, took their leave of the top floor the remaining Ghostbusters readied themselves for a powerul supernatural encounter waiting for them in the ballroom.

"Come on." Abby motioned toward the barricaded entrance to the ballroom. "We need to know what we're dealing with in there."

Holtzmann flashed a twisted grin. "This is the best part of the job!"

"Exploring the unknown?" Erin asked enthusiastically.

"No, breaking and entering."

"Oh..."

* * *

Opting for the elevator over the stairs, willing to risk becoming trapped, Ray and Egon descended to the ground floor of the hotel. Multiple lightning strikes caused the lights to repeatedly flicker and the power to the elevator waver, but it never powered down. Loud thunder shook the building and rumbled through the elevator shaft with an amplified volume.

"I hate this." Ray admitted as the elevator continued to drop. "I wish we didn't have to leave them behind."

"I know Ray, but it's necessary. We must finish the prototype."

"What's your theory? The prototype is supposed to open a gateway, correct? Why would a gateway limit or contain the threat inside the hotel?"

"My theory is that my arrival through the gateway destabilized the naturally occurring levels of psychokinetic energy already flowing through the city, essentially recharging the Ley Lines. By opening the gateway for a second time a majority of the accumulated energy should go directly into powering up the gateway while also simultaneously drawing the excess energy through said gateway."

"You're going to use the gateway to drain the heavy PKE signature," Ray now understood Egon's mentality and the theory itself. The doors to the elevators opened and the duo stepped outside and into the lobby. "and restore the natural balance of energy before a truly malevolent entity can cross through."

"Exactly."

As Ray put his hand on the handle of the front door the two men peered through the glass panels and eyed the heavy deluge of cold rain now bombarding the city in the icy water. Lightning flashed and thunder roared with an ominous cacophony of strength.

"We better build that prototype fast." Ray commented dryly as she stared at the storm with awe. "Time is working against us."

"As it often does."

* * *

Holtzmann had no problem pushing aside the wooden construction barricades and clearing a path for herself and her team to follow. The marble floors of the ballroom were shiny and new, as were the marble columns that lined the walls and provided support for the bare and partially rebuilt ceiling. The walls were hollow and the support beams could be seen without the drywall and plaster surface to conceal them.

"Okay, this is where we found Egon." Holtzmann explained as she stood in the same spot where Egon had appeared. "And we were about eight blocks away when the scanner in the car picked up on the strong signal from his arrival."

Patty looked around the ballroom suspiciously. "I still can't believe no one spotted us checking out the top floor without checking in, let alone carrying an unconscious dude out of here without anyone stopping us."

"New York." Holtzmann gave Patty a cheeky look. "What a town!"

Abby shuddered as a powerful chill ran up her spine. "Keep your guard up ladies, I get the feeling we're not alone."

"Too bad our meters burned out." Erin lamented as she looked about the marble room for any unusual activity. "I'd love to get a reading right now."

A massive bolt of lightning flashed across the sky as it struck the roof of the hotel. The entire building trembled violently as a deafening cascade of thunder poured down through the hotel. The Ghostbusters put their hands protectively over their ears as the sound bore down on them like freight train.

Erin looked about the ballroom as she and her team braced themselves during the strike. It was then she saw an impossibly black shadow slinking along the walls behind Holtzmann. The shadow was massive stature and sent a sickening chill through Erin's heart just by looking at it.

"Guys! We're not alone!" Erin called out as she aimed her thrower at the wall. The rest of the Ghostbusters followed suit and circled together, pressing their backs protectively against each other to ensure no one could get jumped. "Get ready..."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	12. Eye of the Storm

Egon stared at the storm as it tore through the sky above the city. Ray drove the rather ostentatious hearse down the street at a steady, slow pace to ensure there were no accidents as a result of poor driving in the poor weather. The two men were silent during the drive, neither knowing what to say to each other if anything at all. Egon could feel that there was something on Ray's mind but he couldn't allow himself to become distracted or feed into the thoughts brewing in Ray's head.

"Almost there..." Ray slowly backed the hearse up the garage, maneuvering as if he had so thousands of times before. The garage opened wide as the hearse pulled in, dripping wet with rain water and creating a puddle on the floor of the garage. "Do we have the supplies we need upstairs?"

"Possibly." Egon answered as he climbed out of the hearse and hastily made his way to the second floor. "It appears our Ghostbusters are as well equipped as we were."

"At least some things stay the same." Ray tagged on as he followed Egon up the stairs.

Before Egon had the chance to ask Ray about his comment; ask what he meant about consistency when their own Ghostbusting team had never existed, when Kevin met them at the top of the stairs.

"Hello." Kevin greeted the two men with a sincere yet simple smile. "Where's everyone else? You're not joining the team are you?"

"No, we're not joining the team. And the others are still at the hotel." Egon replied as he stepped past the blond man. "We need to build a new device in order to keep the city safe. Where do they keep the building materials and tools?"

"Uh..." Kevin ran a hand through his hair as he stared dumbly at Egon. "You mean like pieces of metal and hammers?"

"...Yes."

"Over there." He pointed to a massive utility closet at the far end of the room. "Holtzmann keeps the scraps she collects over there. Then she makes ghost catching things from them."

Egon walked over to the closet doors and pulled on the handles. Opening the closet revealed what appeared to be a massive walk in storage locker lined with shelves overflowing with metal sheets of numerous types and tall filing cabinets loaded with nuts, bolts and screws. The rear wall at the far end of the closet was covered in a massive pegboard that had many tools of various sizes and weights.

"Ray," Egon called to his friend who was a few steps away from the closet. "I believe we have all the supplies we'll need."

* * *

Erin and Patty worked in unison in a desperate bid to wrangle the ghost and keep it from slipping away through the walls and retreating back into hiding. The blasts of their proton streams illuminated the room in an inescapable energy that the ghost struggled to elude. Abby and Holtzmann laid down two traps and tried to lure the ghost closer to the traps while Erin and Patty wore it down.

"Try going left!" Abby shouted as the shadowy figure managed to sidestep the first trap.

"I am going left!" Erin responded sharply. "IT'S trying to go right!"

"Yeah, right into that trap!" Patty cried out as she tried to lasso the ghost in her proton stream.

Holtzmann was watching the event with a calm curiosity as if she knew that the ghost wasn't the main threat, but merely a warm up. She watched the walls very carefully as she caught sight of her own breath disappearing into a mist before her eyes. "It's cold."

"Gotcha'!" Erin cheered as she and Patty had finally managed to ensnare the ghost between their proton streams. "You're not going anywhere!"

The ghost roared and thrashed violently against the twin beams but couldn't break free. Just as Abby was about the stomp on the release trigger for the trap the ghost let out a deep guttural growl that reverberated horrifically throughout the ballroom.

"What was THAT?" Patty shouted over the echoing cry as she and Erin froze in place.

From the center of the ballroom's floor a second black shadow emerged and towered over the four women. With a single swipe the shadowy figure managed to obstruct the flow of the streams long enough to allow the first ghost to break free of the proton lassos and join its newly arrived counterpart.

"Oh... shoot." Erin and Patty backed away from the two ghosts and regrouped with Abby and Holtzmann.

"Now what?" Abby aimed her thrower at the two ghosts. "If we try to catch them we need to lasso them both at once so they can't help each other."

"Not sure..." Erin admitted as she took aim at the ghosts as well. "Should be wait for Egon and Ray?"

Holtzmann interjected with a sense of doubt. "We won't have the time to wait. Look."

The two ghosts hunkered down and perched on four powerful haunches. Shifting their forms from bipedal shadows into quadrupeds the ghosts bodies solidified as two long horns began protruding from their foreheads and long, sharp beaks formed in the center of their faces. Dark plumes of feathers began emerge from their bodies. Massive animalistic legs formed in the back and their hands morphed into three toed talons like an eagle.

"What... are THOSE?!" Patty took a step back and stared with wide eyes at the creatures as the dark shadowy color over their bodies brightened and revealed beige and white feathers covering a powerful beast-like body. From their strong shoulders two broad wings with a five foot span reached out with thick feathers of white and gold and began flapping about creating powerful gusts through the room.

"Uh... giant... birds?" Holtzmann suggested casually. "They kind of look like the griffins from Greek and Persian mythology. Neat."

"Birds?" Erin thought back to the story Egon had told her about Gozer and his lieutenants. "Those were called terror dogs, does that make these terror... birds?"

"Terror birds?" Abby questioned skeptically. "Seriously?"

"If I'm right," Erin continued nervously. "then these two are minions of a FAR stronger ghost, maybe even a demigod."

"Demigod?" Patty took another step back. "Nope. That's where I draw the line! There is a HUGE difference between ghosts and gods!"

Erin remembered the phone in her pocket and slowly reached for it. "Egon... Ray... Hurry!"

* * *

Ray expertly welded together a small rectangular box from the scraps of steel taken from the supply closet. The box was level, evenly welded on all of its seams and topped with a massive door that would open upward on a single hinge. Inside the box was a round, small pedestal that would channel energy flowing into or out of the device at will.

"The body is set." Ray announced as he flipped up the heavy welders mark from his face. "How's the interior coming along?"

Egon had been wiring circuit boards and testing diverse battery options to power the device at the table behind Ray. "I need to select the ideal power source and we're finished."

The thunder outside rumbled violently and lighting flashed through the stormy clouds. The power in the firehouse dimmed and finally went out, leaving the two men alone the dark firehouse.

"Good timing." Ray noted as he tried to peer through the darkness at this friend.

From the first floor a bright beam of flashlight illuminated the staircase as Kevin strolled into the rec room where the two men had been working. "Need a light?" He placed a second flashlight on the desk next to Egon and flashed his familiar cheesy smile.

"We need to get back to the hotel." Egon declared firmly. "Are there any spare proton packs in the firehouse?"

"Nope." Kevin had been forbidden from going near the proton packs and knew that only four had been made. "But they do have other things they like to use for catching ghosts. One looks like a shotgun. Abby said I can't touch it."

"Where is it?" Ray asked as he followed the flashlight beam over to where Kevin was standing.

"I'll show you."

Egon turned on the flashlight and used it to finish his wiring while Ray was introduced to the other pieces of equipment that Holtzmann had built during her down time at the firehouse. As Ray eyed the equipment placed with care and precision on a massive rack to keep the items organized he felt the phone in his packet vibrate.

Answering the phone he heard the fear in Erin's voice. "Hello?"

"Ray!" Erin almost yelled into the phone. "We need you back here! Birds! Very big birds!"

"Birds? What kind of-"

"Doesn't matter! Just get back here! We can't keep them in the hotel forever!"

"Don't worry," Ray grabbed the proton shotgun from the wall and checked the weight with his hands. "we're on our way!" Finishing the call Ray pocketed the phone and shouted out to Egon. "Spengler! Time's up! We need to move!"

* * *

The storm barraged the Mercado with the pounding rain, deafening thunder and lethal lightning as the Ghostbusters continued to engage the two griffins in battle inside the ballroom at the top of the now haunted hotel.

"Duck!" Abby screamed as she grabbed Erin's shoulder and pulled her down to the ground and out of harm's way as the griffin slashed its claws through the air wildly. "You need to pay attention! Come on!"

"Sorry, sorry! I just called for help. Ray and Egon are on their way!"

"Great, so until then we try to keep the giant monster birds from escaping the building. Easy!"

Holtzmann had managed to wrangle one of the griffins by it's rear leg with a proton stream and was dragging it back and forth over the marble floor. The griffin screeched out and slashed at the smooth floor but it couldn't get a grip or break free of the stream.

Hearing its counterpart's cry for help the second griffin turned it's full attention toward Holtzmann and barreled at her at full speed.

Holtzmann fell backward and onto the ground as the griffin loomed angrily over her. It opened its beak and hissed loudly as it brought its wings up and tried to surround her in feathers.

"Holtzy!" Patty and Erin turned on their proton streams and lassoed the griffin before it could attack her.

Seeing an opportunity to capture the two beasts Abby lassoed the first griffin and helped to keep it restrained as Holtzmanned got back to her feet.

"Nice one!" Holtzmann praised gleefully as she proudly planted her feet on the ground. "We got 'em!"

"Abby, follow my lead!" Patty shouted as she began stepping back and pulling the first griffin from the second. "We gotta' keep them apart!"

"Right!" Abby stood at Patty's side as the two women dragged the griffin backward by it's wrangled legs. "This will be a great addition to our research!"

Holtzmann and Erin followed suit and dragged the second griffin in the same manner to the opposite end of the ballroom. The beasts screeched loudly and clawed at the floor but were unable to break free of the proton streams or lash out at their captors. The griffins flapped their winds violently in an attemot to take flight but the proton streams were concentrated enough to drain their ethereal energy from their bodies, sapping their physical strength as a result.

Helpless against the four Ghostbusters and unable to assist one another the two destructive creatures were seemingly defeated and no longer a threat.

"Uh, guys?" Holtzmann saw a single flaw in their strategy, and it was a big one. "If we're all holding these guys back, who's going to open the traps?"

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	13. The True Threat

The snarling twin griffins screeched and clawed desperately in an attempt to break the connection of the proton streams that held them in place. Their strong wings flapped quickly with great strength in a taxing bid to take flight but the four women were too strong and wouldn't give up their ground. Shifting their weight downward and pulling back on their throwers the Ghostbusters tightened the proton energy lassos that snaked around the griffins' rear legs in an unyielding noose.

Unable to move from their position in the ballroom and unwilling to risk losing a binding hold on one of the beasts the four women could only wait and hope that the griffins lost their strength and will to fight before they did.

"Guys..." Holtzmann repeated in a somewhat worried tone. "we need to make a move. Any move! Literally. Any. Move. Think of something!"

"I... uh..." Erin stammered nervously as she tried, and failed, to come up with a new plan.

From the doorway of the ballroom the two traps suddenly slid over, one going to one side of the room and the second going to the opposite side, and coming to a rest just below the flailing bodies of the griffins.

"We got this!" Ray's voice sounded off as he and Egon each took charge over a trap. "Give us the signal!"

"Now! Now! Now!" Erin called out as she was becoming increasingly fatigued by the struggling beasts who were insistent on wresting free of the proton streams. "Open the traps!"

In perfectly synchronized motion Egon and Ray stomped down on the release triggers to the traps and watched as the griffins became enveloped in the bright white ionized light within the portable metal prisons.

The griffins screeched in futile protest as the traps easily pulled the ethereal beasts down into the inescapable energy field of the ionized particles.

"Traps closed!" Ray yelled as he and Egon slammed the traps shut with the trigger just as quickly as they had opened them.

Erin, Abby, Patty and Holtzmann simultaneously shut off their proton streams and looked away from the bright light of the traps as the beasts were sealed away. Opening one eye Erin looked back at the traps and breathed a sigh of relief as a wisp of smoke billowed from the traps and there was no sign of the griffins breaking through the traps.

"We got them..." Erin sheathed her thrower. "Nice timing."

Ray and Egon walked into the ballroom and glanced about at the carnage that had taken place during their absence.

Deep claw marks gouged what was once a pristine, flawless marble floor. The marble pillars were cracked and chipped from the impact of the griffins bashing their bodies against every little thing in the room as they struggled to break free of the proton streams. What few lights were installed in the ceiling were dim and half of the lights had been broken by the struggle. Tiny shards of glass littered the damaged floor and glistened like a thin snowfall throughout the room.

"Were those griffins?" Egon asked as he and Ray stepped further inside the room. The finished device, encased in shiny metal, clutched protectively between Egon's hands stood out against the white coloration of the room.

Holtzmann casually sheathed her thrower as she approached Egon and took a closer look at the device. "I prefer the term 'terror birds', but yeah, by all accounts those were griffins. Pretty wild, huh?"

"Yes." Egon agreed as he and Ray prepared to engage the device in the center of the ballroom. "Ray and I have finished constructing the gateway. Once it's activated I should-"

A flash of green lightning lit up the ballroom as the bolt of electricity struck the side of the hotel just below the roof. The remaining lights in the ballroom illuminated intensely before bursting, sending more shards of glass raining down on the six Ghostbusters in an unexpected frenzy. As the group of six raised their arms up to shield themselves from the falling sharp debris a rumble of thunder shook the entire building and a surge of channeled energy flowed through the room lie a swirling pulse.

"This is new." Abby observed as she lowered her arm and stared at the newly formed phenomena.

"'New'?" Patty gave Abby an odd look. "Try 'terrifying'. Maybe even deadly."

The green energy swirled about in the center of the room, taking the shape of rising column that reached from the floor to the ceiling. From within the column of green energy a humanoid figure's silhouette began to darken in the middle as a being crossed from one world into this world.

"Not another monster." Erin almost pleaded as she stared with wide eyes at the event transpiring before her. " _Please_ not another monster!"

"No," Ray took one step forward, putting himself slightly in in front of Erin as if he could shield her from the incoming threat. "it's worse than a monster."

"And... how is that?" Patty asked as she aimed her thrower and eyed the figure with righteous suspicion. "What's worse than a monster?"

The figure confidently stepped forward with a graceful, feminine gait as she emerged from the green column. With snake-like scaled skin, piercing amber eyes and wild long, green hair flowing behind her semi-nude form, the figure revealed herself and flashed a malevolent smile of pure amusement.

"A demigod." Ray answered firmly.

"More specifically," Egon tagged on without missing a beat. "a demigoddess. Tiamat: The goddess of chaos."

Holtzmann gave Tiamat an unimpressed glance. "A friend of Gozer?"

"Sibling." Egon replied firmly. "And these siblings do not get along well with one another."

Abby nervously spoke up. "Are you referencing an information source about her, or are you speaking from experience?"

"Experience." Egon never blinked as he stared down the demigoddess fearlessly. "She and Gozer once vied for control over my world and in the process she nearly took the life of a colleague before we managed to stop her."

"Sibling rivalry even amongst the gods." Holtzmann coyly stated as she resumed to eyeing the demigoddess. "Makes pushing your brother down the stairs seem harmless in comparison."

Ray turned his attention from Tiamat to Holtzmann. "Are _you_ speaking from experience?"

"I plead the fifth."

"Focus." Erin tried to hide her fear as she dared to confront Tiamat. "We're the only ones who can deal with her. So let's get it done."

Tiamat's twisted smile broadened as she stared down Erin with her burning eyes. "Mere mortal, you think you can best me?"

"Y-Yes." Erin stammered before retrieving her thrower and taking aim. "We've protected this world from an impending cataclysm with just four of us. Now our team is bigger and we have more experience. You're not going to harm anyone for any reason."

"What she said!" Abby quickly joined in on Erin's confident defiance.

"Pitiful fools." Tiamat raised a hand sent a wave of ethereal energy out from her palm and surrounded the six Ghostbusters. "Pathetic. It was your arrogance, your negligence that drew my attention to this insignificant realm." She raised her hand and drew the six people up from the ground and held them in place with her incredible power. "You invited me to your world and I shall now claim it as my own!"

With a simple wave of her hand Tiamat sent the six Ghostbusters flying backward at great speed, their bodies helpless to stop themselves collided with the hard wall with an incredible impact that stunned the group and left them laying prone, defenseless on the floor at Tiamat's feet.

"The end draws nigh." Tiamat hissed wickedly. "And I shall bring it forth."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	14. Defiance

As Tiamat drew closer to the six felled Ghostbusters, her hand outstretched with an orb of dark green ethereal power that flowed outward from her palm, the group held their fearful breaths as they laid about on the glass littered floor unsure of their next move. Not quite cowering, but not readily back to their feet to confront the demigoddess, the Ghostbusters tried to think quickly but logically to find a proper way to deal with Tiamat before things truly spiraled into irreparable chaos.

"Hold it!" Erin commanded in a loud, steady as she aimed her thrower, the barrel shaking in her trembling but sure hands as she took a knee. "Don't make me do this!"

Tiamat paused and lowered her hand, not out of intimidation but out of twisted amusement. "A mortal dares to challenge me? How entertaining."

"She's not alone." Abby spoke up and stayed at Erin's side. "You may be a god but this is _our_ world and _we're_ the ones who call the shots!"

Tiamat took another step forward raised her hand again. "Shall we test this claim?"

Erin's eyes widened with fear as Tiamat's ethereal energy intensified in color and strength as the goddess of chaos aimed at the two bold women. Before Tiamat had the chance to unleash her power twin proton streams coming from opposite sides of Erin and Abby snaked around her arm and kept it held at bay.

"Don't you touch them!" Patty shouted over the sound of the commotion of the proton pack's impressive power. "Back off!"

Holtzmann discreetly stood in front of both Ray and Egon as she whispered to the men, one eye being kept on Tiamat with unobstructed focus. "If you guys have any ideas, _now_ would be a great time to impress us."

As Patty and Holtzmann held Tiamat at bay Erin and Abby joined in with their own proton streams and the four beams of energy wrapped around Tiamat's arms and legs, swirling upward around her waist and chest. Thought uninjured and unfazed by the attack Tiamat was unable to break free of the four beams of concentrated energy and stayed grounded in place.

"Egon, what're we going to do?" Ray whispered to his friend as the two men remained where they sat on the floor. "We don't have proton packs and I don't think a trap can hold her."

"You're right. We have to send Tiamat back to her own world before she can do any permanent damage to this world."

Ray looked at the device still clutched tightly in Egon's hands. "The gateway."

"What better way to test it than on a goddess?"

"Always wanted the chance to experiment on a god." Ray's eyes brightened with renewed confidence.

"This could be our only chance." Egon flipped the power switch on the device and pulled the remote cable taut in his hands.

"And I'll take it!" Ray went to pull the device from Egon's hands when a sudden quake through the room made his pause.

Tiamat had been gauging the power of the proton streams and found that even when combined the energy wasn't enough to stop her. With a sudden pulse of unparalleled strength she broke the flow of the streams, sending the intense energy back toward the six Ghostbusters stunning them on contact. The four women were thrown backward, falling harshly to the ground and toward their unarmed colleagues who were unable to response in a timely manner.

Erin fell backward onto Abby, who was pinned down on the floor under Erin's unexpected weight. "That was dumb..." Erin admitted with a pained groan of self irritation. "It was dumb, right?"

"Yup." Abby agreed as she tried to lift a hand to push Erin aside, but her limb didn't respond. "And I can't move."

"Me neither." Erin tried to roll to her side but her body was temporarily paralyzed like Abby.

Patty tried to sit up but she too was unable to recover her strength after the shock. "I'm down too... Holtzy? Can you move?"

Holtzmann had fallen back onto Egon and was leaning against his legs. "Not as well as I used to." She looked up at Egon and then over to Ray who was laying back next to Patty. "I don't think the guys can move any better than us."

"No." Egon admitted as he eyed the device that he has lost is grip on after being stunned by Tiamat. "The effects of the proton stream should be temporary, but how long it'll linger is-"

"Too long." Patty interrupted bitterly. "NOW what do we do?"

Tiamat put her hand on her hip and stared triumphantly at the six mortals who were so easily bested. "Worship me. Become my loyal servants and I shall spare your lives."

Holtzmann scoffed arrogantly. "Doubt it! Pretty sure anyone with the title 'goddess of chaos' is also a goddess of lies."

Tiamat focused on Holtzmann and sneered. "Your suspicions prove true."

"Called it."

Tiamat waved a hand and bathed the interior of the white ballroom in green light. Outside lightning flashed and thunder roared angrily. The entire hotel was enveloped in the immeasurable power that Tiamat channeled. The ballroom became icy cold as Tiamat's power grew and further flowed from her being and into the environment around her.

"Humans are such fragile creatures." Tiamat taunted as she flicker her wrist and created a dagger of ice in the palm of her hand. "How such frail, pitiful, disposable, inferior specimens could stop my brother's return continues to elude me."

"Gozer was weak." Ray claimed with a hateful snap. "I'm willing to bet it runs in the family!"

Tiamat turned her attention to the mouthy Ghostbuster and stared him down with a spiteful glare. "You best hold your tongue when in the presence of a goddess."

"Correction," Ray quipped with a sly grin. " _demi_ goddess."

"Ray?" Egon gave his friend a worried glance. "What're you doing?"

"Trust me Egon. If I can get her to focus on me-"

"Your words will cost you." Tiamat threatened as she proudly boasted the dagger in her hand. A sheath of ice spread from the hilt of the dagger and down her forearm in a snowy white cascade of power. "Consider this an honor. Make your peace."

"I made my peace a LONG time ago, sister. You're NOTHING compared to the atrocities that I've faced!" Ray's eyes were fiery with passion as he spoke. His words seemed to stem from long repressed anger, or perhaps regret. Every word he spat had a purpose.

"Ray?!" Egon nearly shouted but instead grumbled under his breath. "Don't do-"

"If you're such a powerful god," Ray continued to taunt and effectively bait Tiamat. "then give us a true display of your power, not these silly parlor tricks. Come on! Show me!"

With a twisted grin Tiamat flexed her hand with frightfully quick movements and sent the icy dagger flying from her grip and toward the chest of the defenseless Ghostbuster who dared to question her. There was a loud gasp of pain and all was suddenly still.

"Ray!" Egon's eyes went wide as he stared at the dagger now embedded in Ray's upper chest. A red stain began to form and pool around the dagger, saturating the ice in a sickly crimson hue. "Ray...?"

Erin, Abby, Patty and Holtzmann all turned their attention to their now wounded colleague as he helplessly fell prey to Tiamat's weapon.

"Trust me..." Ray repeated to Egon as his eyes closed slowly and he laid flat on his back. "Please... trust me."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	15. Having Faith

Shock and fear had finally set in as the Ghostbusters stared at the blood beginning to pool under Ray's shoulder. The ice dagger was beginning to melt from Ray's body heat but the icy temperature of the room kept the blade from shrinking at too rapid of a pace. Mustering all of his mental resolve into physical strength Egon managed to push himself up from the ground and drag himself over to where Ray was laying on the ground just a few inches away. Pressing his hands down onto Ray's bloodied shoulder Egon attempted to stem the bleeding by steadily applying pressure to the wound.

"Ray? Why did you-"

"Egon..." Ray motioned with his eyes toward Tiamat and then to the other Ghostbusters as he whispered. From under his hand opposite of his wounded shoulder he turned on the PKE meter and turned the antennae just enough to hone in on Tiamat. "trust me, and I need you trust _them_."

"Trust?" Egon turned his focus to Tiamat and watched as Holtzmann managed to find a new strength of her own to stand up and plant herself firmly between the enraged demigoddess and Ray's downed form. Looking back to Ray he collected his thoughts and merely nodded once as a response.

"Bad decision!" Patty shouted as she opened fire at Tiamat. Her proton stream wrapped around Tiamat's right arm and pulled taut like noose around the neck of a hanged man. The icy sheath that ran down Tiamat's arm dissolved as the demigoddess lost her focus. "Turn up the juice! Let's max out these batteries ladies!"

"What she said!" Holtzmann opened fire and ensnared Tiamat's opposite arm. Rushing away from Tiamat she pulled her arm outward as far as it could stretch and watched as Patty did the same from the opposite side of the room. "Don't mess with people when they have access to nuclear powered weapons!"

Tiamat struggled to retract her arms as the proton streams easily held her arms at bay. It was then Erin and Abby saw their opportunity and joined their colleagues in their endeavor to stop the demigoddess.

"We may be mortal," Erin called out as her proton stream wrapped around Tiamat's right leg and she joined Patty on the far side of the room. "but at least we're smart enough to know when we're outnumbered!"

Abby wrapped her proton stream around Tiamat's left leg and rushed over beside Holtzmann. "And we know a smart move when we see one!"

Tiamat stopped trying to wrest her arms and legs free as Abby's words gave her an unexpected worry. Looking over at the remaining two Ghostbusters who hadn't tried to attack her the demigoddess realized that she had been distracted by the very mere mortals she had so openly mocked.

With a sense of satisfaction Egon kicked the device outward from where he knelt beside Ray and pressed down on the release trigger once the device was in close enough proximity to the arrogant demigoddess.

"If you as a goddess are truly wise then you'll return to your world and never set foot in this world again." Egon claimed as the device powered up and a bright portal of light opened behind Tiamat.

"I will not be defeated by humans." Tiamat defied angrily. "Not like this."

Ray managed to prop himself up on one elbow as he stared down the failing demigoddess. "We've defeated you before, now we will again. And every attempt you make on this world will end the same way! The Ghostbusters will always stop you!"

The portal's light brightened and a magnificent surge of energy flowed through surrounding Tiamat's entire body in the wondrous force of otherworldly might. As the demigoddess struggled and failed to break free of the proton streams, now snaking about her at the maximum; dangerously high setting, she hissed and sneered at Egon with an embittered glare at the crafty physicist.

Erin took the lead and tightened her grip on her thrower until her knuckles were white and her fingers ached with strain. "Let's go ladies! Put her in her place!"

"Go!" Patty shouted like a coach to a team enthusiastically.

The four women rushing forward with their streams still snaked around Tiamat's limbs. The demigoddess was swept off her feet and fell back onto the glass littered floor, small flakes of the glass scattered about like a gentle snowfall. She let out a hiss of anger as she was dragged forward like a captured animal toward the portal, unable to get back to her feet, let alone escape.

"Go back to Hell!" Erin shouted as the demigoddess was pulled through portal and the power she had expelled throughout the room was pulled through the portal alongside her. Glass shards scraped into the floor under Tiamat's body and left horrendous scars in the marble finish.

"I _will_ be victorious!" Tiamat screeched as she disappeared from sight through the portal, the light within consuming her entire body in one fell swoop.

"Yeah, sure." Holtzmann switched off her proton pack along with the other Ghostbusters. Turning off her pack she gave Erin a proud smile. "That's what they always say."

Egon motioned to the traps containing the griffins sitting idle on the floor a few feet away. "Tiamat shouldn't be without her pets."

"You're absolutely right." Erin happily grabbed the traps by the cables and tossed them with very little care through the portal. "You know Dr. Spengler, I think you're definitely onto something with sending ghosts to a new dimension instead of a prison. I really like it."

Egon smashed down the release trigger on the device and as quickly as the gateway had opened up, the portal shut down and Tiamat was left stranded in her own world once more.

As Tiamat had channeled her power into the building she became one with the mounting PKE energy that had created the pre-existing catalyst within the ballroom and the surrounding structure that is the Mercado Hotel. Once her power was pulled through the gateway the PKE energy that her power had merged with was also pulled through, freeing the hotel of the malevolent PKE energy that lingered thanks to the acts of the long defeated Rowan North.

The room warmed quickly as Tiamat's presence was removed from the hotel. The green hue faded from the walls and floor, the storm outside quieted in a spectacular haste and the normal power to the building had been restored.

"Ladies." Erin looked around the room, acknowledging the damage as a result of the bust while also proudly taking the victory over Tiamat as a milestone for the Ghostbusters to remember forever. "Well done."

Egon focused on his injured friend with the same concern he had always shown toward Ray ever since they befriended each in college all those years ago. "Ray, that was a tremendous risk you took." The physicist lamented as he checked the blood flow from the wound. "How'd you know the device would be powerful enough to capture her?"

"Simple." Ray groaned as he sat upright on the floor with Egon's help. "Your equation requires precise coordinates for the gateway to function properly. The only efficient way to accomplish this is to tune the device to the being who is going to step through the gateway, which means a frequency must be recorded and thus line up the proper coordinates." Flashing a PKE meter that he had stealthily concealed beneath his hand he showed Egon the recorded data. "I scanned Tiamat without her noticing after she attacked me and no longer saw me as a threat."

Egon shook his head as he stared at the melting icy dagger jutting out of Ray's shoulder. "No. I was referring to the gateway successfully powering up in general. How did you know it would function as it should? We never tested it and my previous design was heavily flawed."

"Egon, I knew it'd work because I know you. I trust you."

With those words Egon felt himself unusually emotional. Giving Ray an appreciative smile he hooked his arm around Ray's back, under his bad shoulder, and helped him up to his feet. "Thank you, Ray."

"Never thank me." Ray tried to laugh but winced in pain and clutched at his bleeding shoulder.

Egon took notice immediately. "Do you have a medical bay at the firehouse?"

"Yup." Holtzmann walked up to the two men and wrapped her arms around Egon's arm once more. "Come on. Let's get your friend here patched up so we can send you home, and get yelled at by the mayor!"

Abby brushed the glass shards from her jumpsuit and picked up the device from the floor. "As soon as it's election time I'm voting for whoever opposes him."

 _ **...to be continued...**_


	16. A Brighter Future

Peter and Janine had been keeping watch over the portal all through the night. As the earliest of morning hours began to tick by Janine had finally fallen asleep and was resting her head again Peter's shoulder. Peter himself was still awake, his back pressed up against the hard, cold brick wall of the basement and his legs outstretched and crossed before him. His eyes were cold but his mind and body were still very much awake.

Light inside the active portal flickered and dimmed in a rhythmic pattern as it began to respond to an outside source that could not be seen.

"Hm?" Peter opened one eye and stared at the portal, certain he sensed the changing in illumination through his closed eyelids.

The portal resumed its normal luster and hummed in a peaceful whir of incalculable energy as it remained steady in its glow. No movement, no sound. All was seemingly as it had been all that night and morning.

"Hope that wasn't something important." Peter murmured to himself as he glanced down at Janine's resting face. "Anytime now Egon, my arm's starting to fall asleep."

* * *

The six Ghostbusters had returned to the firehouse victorious over the Demigoddess of Chaos. Escorting Ray out of the hotel Egon and Holtzmann were able to help Ray into the backseat of the unusual hearse while Erin, Abby and Patty explained the situation to the owner of the Mercado and to the police officers who were called in to respond to an equally unusual disturbance on the top floor.

Fortunately the hotel's receptionist, this world's 'Janine', vouched for the Ghostbusters and assured the owner and the police that the group's actions had been beneficial despite the carnage in the ballroom.

"Glad she's on our side." Holtzmann whispered to Egon, who unknowingly blushed at the comment as his thoughts revolved around the Janine of his own world as he stared at the woman defending his new friends through the window.

Ray noticed the look on Egon's face and smirked. "Does she remind you of someone you know?"

"Parallel world Ray." Egon recomposed himself and abruptly looked away from the window. "Even if she does remind me of someone it doesn't guarantee that she'll know who I am."

"I don't know." Ray laughed then winced at the pain in shoulder as the laughter was enough to jar his injury. "Stranger things have happened. You should know better than anyone."

"Take it easy." Egon cautioned. "Don't exasperate yourself."

During the drive back to the firehouse the group looked up and down the streets to see New Yorkers fearlessly returning to their lives throughout the city. The storm had cleared, the winds had calmed and the cold rain was already beginning to evaporate as the warm afternoon sun broke through the fading storm clouds and bathed the city in natural light.

Kevin greeted the Ghostbusters as they returned to the firehouse and set about handling their used equipment and tending to their wounded colleague on the second floor in the rec room. "How'd it go? Did you win?"

Patty gave Kevin an annoyed glance as she hastily dropped her proton pack into his arms. "Yes Kevin. We won."

"Cool. I guess that's why the storm is gone, huh?"

Erin, who had a soft spot for Kevin, decided to 'help' him with the proton packs while her team mates focused on Ray. With one arm supporting Ray at his side Egon helped his injured friend walk up the stairs while Holtzmann and Abby followed close behind.

For Abby helping someone was just part of her nature. While she could be short-tempered and quick to jump to conclusions, she always maintained a big heart and an opened mind which made her perfect for exploring the unknown and giving people the benefit of the doubt. As for Holtzmann helping out Ray seemed somehow familiar. There was something about the way Egon and Ray spoke to each other and blindly trusted each other that gave her a nagging sense of deja vu.

While Egon guided Ray over to a table to sit down and began checking on the stab wound in his shoulder. Unzipping the top of the jumpsuit and pulling the fabric of his t-shirt downward Egon was able to clearly see the extent of the damage. The blade had pierced through flesh and muscle, but missed bone. The very tip of the ice dagger had cut clean through one side of the shoulder to the other, creating a smaller exit wound on the opposite side of the entry wound.

Holtzmann gave Egon a very well equipped medical kit complete with a sutures and antibiotics. It was Erin's idea to complete the refurbishment of the firehouse by turning one of the rooms into a type of medical bay, but all of the various pieces of equipment and dangerous supplies made such a room an impossibility. But that didn't stop her from pulling a few strings getting her hands on numerous medical supplies to stockpile.

"How's your shoulder?" Abby asked Ray as she presented him with a bag of ice wrapped in a white towel. She had been watching from the distance without saying anything as she had some degree of medical knowledge but knew Egon was the most qualified to handle the situation. "Is it sore? Need a pain pill?"

"Not really." Ray flinched as Egon finished tying off the last of the stitches into his reddened, torn skin. "My hand is a little numb. Kind of tingly in my fingertips."

Egon answered without taking his eyes from his delicate work. "Inflammation of the muscles and tissue could pinch a nerve in your shoulder. Blood loss can also be a contributing factor. I wouldn't worry about it." Clipping the silk thread of the stitches Egon placed a white bandage pad against the injury and began wrapping it a roll of gauze for protection. "This should heal in approximately three weeks."

Holtzmann watched as Ray slowly applied the offered ice to his damaged shoulder, pressing it down firmly with the palm of his hand. "Looks like you have plenty of ice for your shoulder. Who knew you could get stabbed with irony?"

Ray gave Holtzmann an amused glance before pulling the fabric of his t-shirt back up over his bandaged shoulder. "In this line of work you'll discover many things you never knew before."

"Agreed." Egon removed his used latex gloves and took a step back from the table. "I'm relieved to know that your team works so well together."

"Yeah, we get along for the most part." Holtzmann reached over and wrapped her arm around Abby's shoulders. "Kevin needs some work but he's alright."

"Kevin?" Ray asked as he stood up the table and shrugged his bandaged shoulder.

"He, uh..." Abby craned her neck to look downstairs to make sure Kevin wasn't around. "can barely handle a phone call, let along an unlicensed nuclear accelerator."

"Ah." Ray understood entirely and didn't press the matter. "Now, how did the gateway device hold up after our encounter with Tiamat? I couldn't get a good look at the device during the drive back."

"Erin and Patty are checking it over downstairs." Abby informed the two seasoned Ghostbusters as she walked over to the TV and turned on the news. "From what I could see it held up pretty well. It might need a recharge but it seems to work just fine."

Egon decided to go downstairs and help with the assessment of the device in person. "I'll go assist. The sooner I return to my world the better it'll be for this world."

At those words Ray's eyes dulled with sadness as he realized he'd lose his friend all over again. It took everything he had to not follow Egon down the stairs, knowing that he'd beg for Egon to stay in this world for just a little longer.

"Ray?" Holtzmann could see that something was heavily on Ray's mind. She also had a hunch as to what that very weight could be. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." He lied as he walked over to the TV to watch the news report Abby had located. "Just a little worn out. It's been years since I've gone through something like that."

Holtzmann could only stare at him with a burning curiosity in her eyes as she studied the man and analyzed his answer. It seemed, to her trained eye and naturally inquisitive nature, that Ray was trying to hide that he knew much more than he initially let on.

* * *

Erin had set the device down on the workbench in the workshop down in the basement of the firehouse and was now running a scanner over the device to check for any energy anomalies or structural breaches. Patty was standing next to Erin and watching the display on the scanner curiously.

"Everything looks okay." Erin decided as she turned off the scanner. "I hope the power levels are still high enough to get Dr. Spengler back to his world."

"How do you know that the device is working right? You didn't build it."

"No, but I did look over the notes and I understand Dr. Spengler's equation." She put aside the meter and checked on the proton packs now charging against the far wall. "Also Holtzmann made that meter and if the needle doesn't hit the red part on the display gauge she said everything is okay."

"What happens if it does hit the red part?"

"She said if it does hit red we'd never know because the radiation level being emitted would vaporize us before we had the chance to turn the meter on."

"Oh. Hate to know how she figured that out..."

Egon had made his way into the basement and spotted the device sitting on the workbench with Patty standing next to it. It was a relief to know that he was such good company. It was rare to meet new people who were just as intrigued by the supernatural as himself, let alone those who were just as scientifically cautious.

"Is the device stable?" Egon asked as he studied it with his keen eyes.

"Yes. Everything checks out."

"Very well. Once the police clear the Mercado for entry we can return to the top floor of the hotel and open the gateway."

"We're going back to the hotel?" Patty asked as she put one hand on her hip and her other hand on the top of the workbench. "Without that crazy god or her pets running around the energy in the hotel returned to normal."

"True." Egon picked up the device and checked the coordinates that had been inputted by Ray earlier. "But the hotel is still an active catalyst for psychokinetic energy. The structure itself can also channel the energy flow and allow us to direct the energy into the device to open the gateway."

"I hope you're right." Patty admitted with only the mildest hint of concern to her voice. "I don't want you to get stranded between worlds or something."

"Neither do I."

Erin finished checking the proton packs and made her way back upstairs. "I'm going to see if the hotel has been cleared."

"Good idea." Egon followed along with Patty. "I'm beginning to miss home."

* * *

Abby, Holtzmann and Ray were watching the news report discussing the disturbance at the Mercado Hotel and were getting annoyed by the flawed details and exaggerations. It didn't help that the reporter was trying to make it sound as though the building had been staging some sort of publicity stunt and was beginning to draw negative, unwarranted attention.

"This is why we have so much trouble getting anyone to take us seriously." Abby complained as she pointed at the TV. "I guarantee you this fall we're going to have a bunch of those ghost hunting TV show crews lurking around the hotel and _we're_ going to be the ones taking the heat!"

"Maybe we can take the show producers out in the middle of Central Park and ditch them?" Holtzmann playfully suggested. "Or we could we could convince them the sewage treatment plant is haunted and lock them inside."

"That could work..."

Erin joined the group in the rec room and sighed irritably at the news report as soon as she saw the hotel behind the reporter at the scene. "We better not get a call from the mayor because of this."

Egon stopped at the top of the staircase as Patty passed by him to sit down on the couch with her friends. "I wish to thank you for your assistance." Egon stated firmly as he looked at the group with the utmost respect brimming in his eyes. "Without your help I wouldn't be able to return to my world. For that I owe you a great debt and wish to offer any help you may need in your future endeavors."

Ray smiled somberly as he listened to Egon saying goodbye.

"It was our pleasure." Abby replied professionally. "It's truly an honor to work with someone as experienced and creative as you."

Erin walked over to Egon and extended her hand for him to take. "Until we meet again Dr. Spengler."

"Yes." Egon shook her hand warmly and gave her an appreciative nod. "I'm certain our paths will cross again."

Patty couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, well, if we do end up needing to cross over into another world to handle a crisis here, you may want to ignore the phone."

Ray interjected. "Which reminds me..." Reaching into his pocket he took out Abby's phone and gave it back to her. "Here."

Egon suddenly remembered that he was still wearing Kevin's green shirt. As he unzipped his jumpsuit and slipped the sleeves off to remove the shirt he noticed that Ray was looking a little upset. Thinking quickly Egon took off the shirt and addressed his friend. "Ray? Would you please come with me to the hotel?"

"Yeah, sure." Ray's voice sounded like he was holding back tears. "I'll see you off."

"I'll drive!" Holtzmann cheered as she jumped up from the couch with both hands straight up in the air. "I want to see the outside of the hotel where the lightning struck it anyway!"

Abby and Erin just sighed while Patty rolled her eyes at their colleague's enthusiastic but silly reaction.

Egon cleared his throat and eyed the coordinate display on the device. "I do hope that it's possible for us to meet again. But let's do our best to assure that the circumstances are less... dangerous."

"Where's the fun in that?" Holtzmann asked as she once again wrapped her arms around Egon's arm and lightly hung onto him where he stood.

"She has a point." Ray tagged on as he made his way toward the staircase. "We should go now. The hotel staff might bar total access to the ballroom if we don't hurry."

The trio composed of Egon, Ray and Holtzmann took their leave of the firehouse with device and the intent of sending Egon back his own world. It was a bitter-sweet moment as the success of the device would send the kind and patient physicist away, but it's where he belonged.

"Ready?" Holtzmann asked as she took her seat behind the steering wheel and watched the two men join her in the hearse. Ray sat in the back while Egon sat up front with the device in his hands.

"Yes." Egon confirmed. "It's time for me to go home."

Turning the key in the ignition the hearse roared to life and exited the garage with a flare that could only compared to one other iconic hearse. The car made its way down the street and toward the hotel, but fortunately a disaster is not the cause for their arrival.

"You know..." Erin spoke up as she heard the hearse leave the firehouse. "I was trying to figure out why Dr. Spengler looked so familiar to me. And when I found out I was a little... disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Abby questioned with a sincerely confused lilt. "Why? He's brilliant!"

"I know." Erin sat down on the couch and folded her hands together nervously. "That's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what _do_ you mean, Erin?" Patty asked as she gave Erin an odd look.

"Well, as it turns out in _this_ world Dr. Egon Spengler was a professor at my old college before I had been hired. And as it turns out he was also one of Holtzmann's professors when she was in school."

"...and this disappoints you?" Patty asked again with utmost fluster.

"It's not his career or his title that's disappointing," Erin finally explained while keep her eyes low. "it's the fact that in our world he has already... well... passed away."

"He's..." Abby's eyes widened with shock. "In our world Egon Spengler is... dead?"

Erin nodded slowly as she finally looked up. "Yeah. If he hadn't of come here from another world then... we never would have met him."

* * *

Peter felt a light hand on his shoulder opposite of Janine. Opening one sleepy eye he looked up at Winston who was kneeling in front of him. The former marine looked as exhausted as Peter felt. Dirt and slime marred his jumpsuit and there were patches of sweat around his arms and the collar.

"Rough call?" Peter asked quietly as he took in his friend's unkempt and worn appearance.

"You could say that." Winston sighed as he fought back the urge to yawn. "Never want to get a call to haunted sauna ever again. Did anything happen while we were out?"

Peter glanced past Winston and toward the portal glowing behind him. "No. No change."

"Damn." Shifting his weight from his knee Winston turned and sat down on the floor next to Peter and closed his eyes. "I was hoping for something good to happen."

"Yeah. Me too." Peter looked around but didn't see Ray anywhere. "Where's Ray?"

"He's upstairs and I imagine he's taking a cool shower. He got drenched in slime and was getting a little overheated from the sauna."

"You imagine? There's many different ways to take that-

"Yeah, yeah." Winston stopped Peter before he could finish the joke. "I know, I totally walked into that one!"

"Well," Peter gave his friend a coy glance before looking down at Janine. "should we trade shifts or..."

"Nah. If you got up it'd disturb Janine and I'm too tired to stay awake. But I'll stay here and keep you company."

"Thanks man."

* * *

Egon, Ray and Holtzmann made their way to the ballroom on the top floor of the Mercado Hotel once more. The commotion outside had resulted in the hotel asking the police to dismiss the media and keep cameras away. Using her unique brand of charm Holtzmann was able to persuade the receptionist to give them access to the ballroom in exchange for free bustings in the event of a new haunting.

"Well, here we are." Holtzmann stated as she lead the way to the ballroom. "Where should we set up the device?"

"Center of the room." Egon confirmed as he handed the device to Holtzmann. "That should give a wide enough berth to keep you two from be affected by the gateway."

"Got it." Holtzmann gave Egon a cheeky grin as she accepted the device. "You always were such a great teacher. Wish you could stick around a little longer."

"Well," Ray finally found his voice as Holtzmann crossed the room. "this is goodbye. Again."

"Ray," Egon turned to his friend and put his hand on Ray's good shoulder. "I don't know what happened to me in this world, but I have a feeling that we still have a shared past. You seem to retain memories of events that took place in my world and your knowledge of engineering is just as astute."

"Egon, I want to tell you so much but I can't break a promise. But I will tell you this, when you..." Ray stopped himself before he said something regrettable. "Look, I just wanted to let you know how much I respect you. Not just as a scientist or investigator, but as a person! You were one of my absolute best friends and when you died I fell into a deep, dark depression. I was so lost and felt so useless I was ready to... end it."

"You were contemplating-" Egon adjusted his glasses as he stared at his friend in disbelief. "You never exhibited symptoms of depression be-"

Ray gave Egon a shameful look. "I hide it well. And I know I wasn't the only one affected by your passing, it... Well it sort of tore us apart. We all went our separate ways and tried to move on with our lives as if nothing happened. Peter kept looking for fame and notoriety but he came really cold and bitter about everything. Winston managed to find a fulfilling career and seems content after re-connecting with his family, but everything just changed. Janine took it the hardest of us all, but somehow she stayed the strongest. I'm not sure how she did seeing as you two... Uh..." Ray shook his head and started a new sentence. "I guess what I want to say is... I don't know. This is so weird!"

Squeezing Ray's shoulder one last time Egon didn't say a word. No judgment, no assumptions. Egon just wanted to listen to Ray and try to understand his state of mind.

"Okay, it's like this. When you and Dr. Holtzmann walked into my bookstore I thought I had finally gone crazy. I had made up my mind and I was going to end it all tomorrow night. I was going to donate all my books, burn all of my research and bite the bullet. But seeing you again reminded me of everything that we had set out to accomplish when we were in school, all the theories we developed all the sleepless nights we spent researching and how we had to work harder than anyone else to succeed." He nodded toward Holtzmann. "And meeting her and the other Ghostbusters... I realized that it wasn't all in vain. Maybe I'll continue our research with them. Maybe I can still keep our work alive."

Holtzmann had set down the device and pulled the cable for the release trigger taut as she backed away and stood near the two men. "It's time."

Egon smiled and retracted his hand from Ray's shoulder. "I'd like to see what theories you develop alongside them. I'm sure they'll be groundbreaking."

"Just promise me that this won't be the last time we see each other. Peter and Winston... They'd want to see one more time, too."

"I promise."

The gateway burst with light and energy as Holtzmann pressed the switch and shielded her eyes. "Coordinates are set. Are you?"

"Yes." Egon stood up tall and straight and walked toward the gateway confidently. Standing just a few inches from the swirling circular mass of white light that was being emitted by the device he turned to look at Ray and Holtzmann over his shoulder. Giving his two new friends one final grin he left them with the most appropriate goodbye he could think of as he stepped through. "See you on the other side."

* * *

From the basement of the firehouse the portal began to react to a presence existing within itself. The light of the portal intensified and began to waver with fluctuating energy levels that peaked and dipped as it struggled to remain powered up. An electrical groan that stemmed from dwindling power echoed throughout the basement as static filled the air.

"Uh, guys?" Peter's eyes widened as he was suddenly jarred awake by the portal becoming active. "Something's happening!"

Janine was startled awake when Peter jumped and Winston was immediately on guard as soon as he heard Peter's voice.

Ray had heard the bizarre sound of the portal from upstairs and rushed down into the basement. He was not wearing his jumpsuit but a pair blue jeans, a gray t-shirt and a red flannel shirt over it. He spotted his three friends standing together against the wall with wide eyes. "What's going on?!"

"The portal!" Peter pointed at the portal with one finger and shielded his eyes with his other hand. " _That's_ what's going on!"

Ray put up his arm over his face to shield himself from the bright light as he turned and focused on the portal. "Is it something _good_ or-"

A flash brighter than any light that portal had previously produced illuminated the entire basement for two seconds before the portal powered down with a pitiful groan. All was quiet and the portal closed itself, seemingly forever.

"What in the..." Ray lowered his arm and stared at the open space where the portal once resided. It was then he noticed something laying on the ground. He pointed toward and shouted enthusiastically before rushing over. "Look!"

Peter, Winston and Janine watched as Ray ran over to the form laying face down on the floor of the basement.

"Egon? Egon!" Ray put his hand on Egon's back and shook him gently. "Can you hear me?"

"Spengz!" Peter sprinted over in two long strides and slid down on his knees beside Egon. "You're back!"

Janine and Winston gathered around Egon and knelt down with bated breaths a they waited for their friend to show any sign of life.

Ray slid his hand up to Egon's neck to check for a pulse and was relieved to find it. Putting his hands under Egon's shoulder he carefully lifted up his friend and with Peter and Winston's help rolled him from over from his chest to his back.

Janine grabbed onto Egon's hand and held tight. "Is he...?'

"No, he's alive." Ray confirmed as he patted the side of Egon's face lightly trying to rouse the unconscious man.

"And he's sporting new eye-wear!" Peter observed as he looked at the different glasses resting on Egon's face. "Not bad."

Egon's eyes fluttered as he regained consciousness and looked up to see his friends surrounding him from all sides. He was aware of someone holding his hand and he instinctively squeezed. "I'm home."

"Yeah!" Ray all but shouted. "You're back!"

Janine tightened her grip around Egon's hand and put her other hand on the side of his face gently. "Thank goodness. We thought we lost you!"

Egon quickly blushed in response and lightly pushed Janine's hand away from his face as he sat upright on the floor. "Hello Janine."

"Good to see you, man!" Winston offered Egon a hand and helped him up to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm in one piece." Egon answered in a shaking voice. He looked at Ray and was relieved to see that the aged eyes and thinning hair had been replaced by the youthful gaze and dark hair that he had always known. "And I'm very happy to be here."

"What happened to you?" Ray asked impatiently as he fought to keep his emotions from welling up. "Where were you? What did you see? What did you-"

Peter slowly put a single finger to Ray's lips and 'shushed' him. "Shh... One question at a time Ray. Give the man some space."

Egon put his hand on Peter's arm to pull his hand down away from Ray's face. "It's okay Peter. I'll answer everything, but first," he picked up the prototype that had started the bizarre series of events and held it out by its cable. "we need to destroy this thing before it causes anymore problems."

"FINALLY." Peter cheered as he turned his hands into fists and pumped them at his sides. "I call dibs on the baseball bat!"

* * *

It was late into the night when Egon had finally finished answering all of the questions and explaining the events he had been apart of when he met and teamed up with the Ghostbusters of the parallel world. The prototype had been dismantled and the blueprints destroyed by Egon's own hand after he and Ray returned to the basement to clean up the mess.

"Are you sure you want this prototype gone?" Ray asked as Egon threw the blueprints into a metal trash bin and held a lighter above.

"Yes. It has twice now almost killed a member of the team. We almost lost you to a parallel world of death and destruction the Ghostbusters of that world struggled to amend, and I had nearly become stranded in a world where our accomplishments were never completed and thus leaving that team of Ghostbusters with a severe lack of knowledge. Yes, my experience is the less of two evils but it's still a world that I wish I never knew. Even after modifying the prototype it still malfunctioned."

Hesitation rampaged through Egon's mind as he stared at the blueprints he had disposed of. Without the prototype the device he had created wouldn't have been created. But if the prototype had never been built or at the very least destroyed after the first incident, then the need for the device would never have existed. Perhaps now that Egon knew how to build a stable gateway the prototype could be perfected and the use of the gateway could be utilized.

What if the Ghostbusters had control over gateways to other worlds? They could reconnect with their colleagues from the two parallel worlds that they had already visited, but what if the connected gateways destabilized the natural border of time and space between the worlds and caused irreparable harm to the universe? What is an unknown threat from one of these worlds escape and caused havoc in another world? What is someone learned of this wonderful technology and used it for their own malevolent purposes?

Too many questions. Not enough answers.

Flicking the lighter with his thumb and orange flame ignited on the lighter and gave off a warm glow. "This is for the best."

"Okay. If this is what you want, I won't stop you."

Lowering his hand to the trash bin the flame caught onto the edge of the paper and quickly engulfed the blueprints in flames. The gentle crackle of the paper being consumed filled the air as a thin veil of smoke wisped upward.

Ray stood beside Egon as the two watched the blueprints burn away into nothingness.

"When I went to a parallel world I was sent two years into the past," Ray couldn't help but continue to theorize on the truly unique events that the two men had endured. "when you went to a different parallel world you were sent twenty-five years into the future. Yet the prototype had the same coordinates locked in during both incidents. Why did I go to one world and you to another?"

"Theoretically it's possible for parallel worlds to co-exists alongside one another while also existing on separate timelines." Egon adjusted his glasses and grimaced. Removing his new frames from his face he tossed the glasses on the workbench and retrieved his spare pair of round frames from a small shelf just above the same workbench. "As for why we ended up in alternate planes of existence with living beings as opposed to a plane of the-" Egon's hand froze as his eyes widened with revelation.

"Egon?" Through the frames of the glasses Ray could see the fear in Egon's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Ray, I believe I now understand why the prototype sent us to different worlds rather than the same world despite the coordinates."

Ray was trying to understand why Egon look so frightened, but his mind was a total blank. "What is it?"

"In the world you had gone to, you stated that you couldn't find any trace of your own existence, correct?"

"Yeah. My bookstore wasn't there and neither John or Hank knew who I was."

"And you stated that it was highly probable that John was related to Peter, and that Peter had died as a child, correct?"

"Yeah..."

Egon gave Ray a stern and dismayed look before his eyes drifted back to the smoldering flames that had destroyed the blueprints. "In the world I had gone to I was also dead."

Ray's eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a beat. "The prototype didn't send us to a plane of the dead. It sent us to alternate planes where _we_ have already died. That's why Peter could go through the portal and find me in my world..."

"That's why our actions in these parallel worlds had no repercussions." His eyes drifted away from the trash bin as the fire died out and became nothing more than a smoldering pile of ashes in the bottom of the trash bin. "We were unable to encounter our parallel selves in these worlds because they do not exist."

"So we really did reach the plane of the dead." Ray's face paled and he felt his stomach knot. "Egon... You said that my parallel self recognized you and that his memories of our past were in tact."

"Correct."

"If that's the case then I think the modifications you made to the prototype didn't send you to a parallel world, they sent you to the future _our_ world!"

"But-" Egon was enthralled by Ray's theory. "Ray, if I had gone to the future then why were our exploits not recorded and why had no one heard of the Ghostbusters until the ones I spoke of had founded the team?"

"Think about Egon," Ray was putting the pieces together, and with each piece his stomach felt all the tighter. "we went out of business for only five years and in that time the city forgot all about us! Hell, some people even chalked Mr. Stay Puft up as a publicity stunt for marketing or just a giant hoax! Can you imagine how easy it'd be for city officials to bury us in twenty years?"

Egon felt his legs begin to shake as the true reality of his future set in. "Twenty years..."

"You okay?" Ray put a hand on Egon's arm and felt his friend trembling with fear. "You look a little sick."

"Ray. If what you say is true then that means in twenty-two years I'll... I'll be dead."

"I... Uh..." Ray began trembling as well and his hand fell away from Egon's arm.

Unable to stand any longer Egon fell to the floor quickly and sat beside the trashcan with his head resting in the palm of his hand. Never before had Egon thought about his own mortality, let alone a time limit! It was a very grounding thought process that had hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Egon. Listen to me." Ray took a knee in front of Egon and leveled his voice. "Twenty-two years is a long time. I know it may not seem like it but it really is. You can accomplish so much!"

"But if it's all for nothing, why bother?"

"No." Ray refused to let Egon lose faith in himself. "It won't be for nothing! It'll be for everything! I promise! I'll keep record of EVERYTHING we do and lock it up in my bookstore. Twisted politicians and cowards can try to erase us from history but as you've seen there will always be someone who will ask questions and venture out on their own. Don't forget that. Because I know I won't."

It was an odd revelation that gave Egon an unexpected sense of purpose and comfort. Seeing the sincerity gleaming in Ray's eyes as he stayed loyal by his side was all it took to steady his nerves. "Thanks Ray."

"Hey, that's what friends are for." Offering Egon a hand he pulled the physicist up from the floor and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, it's been a long day. We'll tell Peter and Winston what we discovered tomorrow morning."

"Very well." As the two men ascended the staircase Egon couldn't help but compare the similarities between Ray and his parallel counterpart. He also compared the four women to his friends and how similar their personalities were, almost like a sign that the Ghostbusters would live on forever.

"Good night Janine." Ray waved to Janine as he and Egon crossed through the garage. "See you tomorrow."

"Good night Ray." Janine turned off her computer and picked up her purse. "Goodnight Egon."

Egon suddenly stopped and looked back at Janine. "I'll be upstairs in a moment Ray." He turned and approached the fiery receptionist with a confident stride in his step as Ray continued on up to the second floor. "Janine?"

Janine stopped what she was doing and locked eyes with Egon. "Yes?"

"Can I... Can I talk to you for a minute?"

* * *

Ray had bid his farewell to the Ghostbusters after he and Holtzmann returned to the firehouse. The device had been locked up and was to never spoke of by the Ghostbusters to anyone outside of the team. They even went so far as to convince Kevin that talking about the device, Dr. Spengler or Ray was a fireable offense.

Unlocking the front door of his bookstore Ray walked inside and turned on the lights as the musty smell of aged paper filled his nose and made him feel like his old self again.

Still wearing the jumpsuit, the Ghostbusters decided he should keep it since he was now an honorary member of their team and it was already stained with his own blood, Ray ventured to the back room of the store and stood before a large painting that was hidden away from public view.

"It's been so long." Ray reminisced as he stared at the painting. "Renaissance style is very flattering."

The painting was of the four Ghostbusters, garbed in differently colored togas and each holding a symbol true to their personality as they surrounded young Oscar Barrett when we was still an infant. The painting itself manifested as a result of Vigo the Carpathian's demise and Dr. Janosz Poha had given to Ray as a gift for saving him from Vigo's mind control.

Sliding the painting to the side Ray uncovered a large safe hidden within the wall. Turning the lock to the proper combination he pulled open the safe door and peered inside.

Eight massive volumes of research that the Ghostbusters had conducted had been preserved and locked away by Ray many years ago. The pages were each carefully laminated and kept in the dark to prevent fading. Beside the volumes was a large metal lock-box which Ray retrieved and placed returned to the front of the store to open.

"Glad I didn't spill the beans." Ray sighed as he took the small key from the keyring in his pocket and unlocked the box. Opening the lid he was greeted by the sight of a photograph placed inside a wooden frame. "I don't think Egon would've had the courage to ask her if I told him how it'd end."

The photograph was a wedding photo. The wedding party consisted of Ray himself along with Winston as groomsmen and Peter as the best man. The bridesmaids showed a blonde woman that Ray knew as Jenny, Winston's wife Tiamat and the maid of honor Dana Barrett.

The bride and groom, smiling warmly and with true happiness, stood wearing a pristine black tuxedo and flawless white wedding gown between the happy party members with their hands held tightly together.

Ray smiled at the photo as he fondly remembered Egon and Janine's wedding day all those years ago.

"They were always meant for each other." Ray heartily reminisced. "Glad he finally realized it."

 _ **-The End  
**_


End file.
